Mountain Zen Den ~ Episode 108 – Why Mindfulness? Why Nature?

“Now is now.” ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Welcome to the Mountain!

We’re going to get back to the basics.

Can you imagine how awesome it would be to wake up every morning to the amazing beauty and wonderful sounds of nature?

We just got back from an amazing hike along Carter Lake and had our senses bombarded by the beauty and restorative powers of Nature…

We were reminded that there are things all around us everyday that would bring so much joy and happiness and peace if we would just take the time to notice them.  It’s called living in the Now.

Now is all we’ve got.  Yesterday is gone.  Tomorrow hasn’t come, we just have Now.  And if you think about it, it’s okay.  We couldn’t handle anything more.  Nor would we want to. 

Now is where we live and the only place we can find joy.  Notice we didn’t necessarily say “Happiness”.

There’s a difference between joy and happiness.  Joy is a choice, it’s lasting – happiness is serendipitous, it comes and goes.  Joy is deep and underlying.  It sees beneath the surface the beautiful, lasting goodness of the Universe all around us. 

The smell of snow or rain in the air. 

The preciousness of your children sleeping in their beds at night or pups laying at your feet.

Being in the now means being present to the little things as they occur all around you…

When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thing you notice or are aware of?

Try this tomorrow morning if you can remember – as an exercise in presence.

If you wake up to an alarm, take note of its tone.  Probably annoying at first thought, but without judging, just notice it. 

What about outside?  Is it daylight yet?  Are the curtains drawn?  Is the room warm?

Pay attention to the details.  Feel the floor underneath your feet.  As you shower, just allow yourself to take in all of the delicious feelings and senses available to you – the hot water running over your body, the smell of your shampoo and soap, the sound of water hitting the tub or shower floor – does it sound a bit like rain or a waterfall? 

The point is – enjoy all that is surrounding you, for these senses were given to you for just that reason – to enjoy!

You can continue this process as you go about the rest of your day.  When you make breakfast, coffee or tea, notice the aromas, the flavor the warmth of the eggs, toast, bacon or oatmeal, the coolness of the orange juice, cereal or fruit salad.

Same with doing the dishes, enjoy the hot, soapy water, the fragrance of the dish liquid, the process of cleansing… you get the idea.

The things we take for granted, the mundane, the routine, the everyday – taking out the trash, driving to work, taking the kids to school or practice… opportunities are all around us for finding joy in just being alive, if we are open to them.  This is what it means to be alive.

Better yet, there is something that will take us to an even higher level of transcendence and joy, and that is, not only being present to receive nature’s goodness, but being available for our loved ones and present to the people in our lives who mean the most to us. 

As human beings created for love and relationship, here is where we will find our deepest joy.

In his book, “The Power of Now” Eckhart Tolle says that presence is needed to become aware of the beauty, the majesty and sacredness of nature.

It’s also needed to become aware of the beauty and goodness of our family, friends, fellow workers and the world around us.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and all is well with the world.  The natural world that is. 

The truth is, our human world can be pretty messed up at times, as evidenced by all the… you hear in the news every day.

A while back we talked about the fact that whatever you focus on, you get more of…

Well today we’re going to focus on the beauty and benefits of Nature’s restorative powers.

Links to Scientific Proof of the Restorative Powers of Nature

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