Mindfulness and Nature

Stop and feel the magic of nature!

Nature has a way about calming the mind and body. It doesn’t take a long time, just a short walk with the trees or a quiet seat by a pond. It can even be in your back yard! Stop and listen to the birds, feel the breeze on your face and if it’s winter, the crisp air. Stop and pay attention to what is around you. We don’t do this as often as our minds and bodies need us to. There’s magic in nature and you will feel it if you stop and give it a chance :)

Try the Merlin bird identification APP. It’s a great way to sit and listen to birds and identify which ones you’re listening to (see link below).

Merlin Bird ID – Free, instant bird identification help and guide for thousands of birds – Identify the birds you see (allaboutbirds.org)

When I Am Among Trees by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,
A peaceful setting where individuals are practicing chair and restorative yoga, illustrating the essence of relaxation and mindfulness. The environment is calm, capturing the beauty of practicing yoga anytime, anywhere.
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.
I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.
Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.
And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”

Morning Sunshine

I love having my morning tea in the morning sunshine, when sunshine is available. We’ve been having a lot of rain, lately.

Exposing your body to morning sunshine can help with sleep. It affects your body’s natural rhythm, called circadian clock which is the internal clock that sets the 24 hour cycle of sleep and wake. Thirty minutes of morning sunshine between sunrise and 9 am can also reduce the risk of cancer, according to Dr. Dr Khan, a clinical oncologist at Queen’s Centre for Oncology and Hematology at Castle Hill Hospital, UK.

According to dr. Kahn, the sunshine must hit part of the retina at the back of the eye which contains light-sensitive retinal ganglion cells. This signals brain to activate the mitochondria to produce a flood of melatonin. Fascinating. I need to do more research on this. In the meantime, I’m setting my alarm to wake up early to get some free sunshine for health.

Source: Basking in just 30 seconds of sunlight each morning may be 'most effective way' to prevent cancer, doctor says (studyfinds.org)