1. Still Your Thoughts
“When in the wilds, we must not carry our problems with us or the joy is lost.” —Sigurd Olson
The secret of experiencing nature is to still our thoughts so that we can fully receive and merge with the world around us. Li Po, the Chinese poet, beautifully expresses how a mind that is still becomes mirror-like:
The birds have vanished in the sky,
and the last cloud drains away.
We sit together, the mountain and I,
until only the mountain remains.
Feel the joy, serenity, and love that come from being fully aware of the present moment. John Muir said that to know trees (and all of nature) we must be as free of cares and of a sense of time as the trees themselves.
When we quiet our internal dialogue and are no longer self-preoccupied—every leaf, flower, and rock will speak to us.
The senses become heightened when we live in the present. Every tree, birdsong, and cloud is vivid and joyous because our attention is totally focused in the here and now.
We see the world as being not separate, but unified with us, and we feel great delight as we sail with the clouds and soar with the cranes high across the sky.
Henry David Thoreau was serious about his walks in nature and gave the following advice for anyone contemplating taking a walk outdoors:
We should go forth … in the spirit of undying adventure, never to return … If you are ready to leave father and mother … wife and child and friends, and never see them again—if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settle all your affairs, and are a free man—then you are ready for a walk.
2. Calm Yourself
The breath reflects one’s mental state. As the breath becomes calmer, so does the mind, and vice versa.
As you sit or stand quietly for a few minutes, observe the natural flow of your breath. Do not control the breath in any way. Simply follow it with your attention. Each time you inhale, think “still.” Each time you exhale, think “ness.”
Repeating “still–ness” with each complete breath cycle helps focus the mind and prevents your attention from wandering from the present moment.
During the pauses after inhaling and exhaling, stay in the present moment, calmly observing whatever is in front of you. If thoughts of the past or future disturb your mind, calmly bring your attention back to what is before you, and continue repeating “still–ness” with your breathing.
3. Become Everything
“Let my mind become silent,
And my thoughts come to rest.
I want to be
All that is before me.
In self-forgetfulness,
I become everything.”
—Joseph Cornell
When your mind wanders, repeat the above poem. Doing so will help bring you back into the present.
4. Feel Yourself in Every Sound and Movement
As you walk, feel that everything around you is a part of you. Feel yourself in the trees, standing tall and firm. Feel inside of you the movement of their branches and leaves as they sway and flutter with the slightest breezes.
Become the birds as they flit from branch to branch. Listen to their calls and feel their sounds resonating within you.
Follow the wind by the sounds and movement it creates as it flows through, around and over trees, meadows and hills.
Feel yourself in every sound, movement, and creation of Nature.
“It’s wonderful how everything in wild
nature fits into us ….
The sun shines not on us but in us.
The river flows not past, but through us.”
—John Muir
5. Live Expansively
If your mind begins to dwell on the past or to anticipate the future, focus your thoughts with the following practice:
-As you walk-
Make a smile with your whole body
and joyfully repeat these words:
I am peace—I am joy.
I am in all things.
Always live expansively. Enjoy the contrast between being self-absorbed and small—and embracing a larger world.
(Excerpted from “The Sky and Earth Touched Me” by Joseph Bharat Cornell.)
“When in the wilds, we must not carry our problems with us or the joy is lost.” —Sigurd Olson
The secret of experiencing nature is to still our thoughts so that we can fully receive and merge with the world around us. Li Po, the Chinese poet, beautifully expresses how a mind that is still becomes mirror-like:
The birds have vanished in the sky,
and the last cloud drains away.
We sit together, the mountain and I,
until only the mountain remains.
Feel the joy, serenity, and love that come from being fully aware of the present moment. John Muir said that to know trees (and all of nature) we must be as free of cares and of a sense of time as the trees themselves.
When we quiet our internal dialogue and are no longer self-preoccupied—every leaf, flower, and rock will speak to us.
The senses become heightened when we live in the present. Every tree, birdsong, and cloud is vivid and joyous because our attention is totally focused in the here and now.
We see the world as being not separate, but unified with us, and we feel great delight as we sail with the clouds and soar with the cranes high across the sky.
Henry David Thoreau was serious about his walks in nature and gave the following advice for anyone contemplating taking a walk outdoors:
We should go forth … in the spirit of undying adventure, never to return … If you are ready to leave father and mother … wife and child and friends, and never see them again—if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settle all your affairs, and are a free man—then you are ready for a walk.
2. Calm Yourself
The breath reflects one’s mental state. As the breath becomes calmer, so does the mind, and vice versa.
As you sit or stand quietly for a few minutes, observe the natural flow of your breath. Do not control the breath in any way. Simply follow it with your attention. Each time you inhale, think “still.” Each time you exhale, think “ness.”
Repeating “still–ness” with each complete breath cycle helps focus the mind and prevents your attention from wandering from the present moment.
During the pauses after inhaling and exhaling, stay in the present moment, calmly observing whatever is in front of you. If thoughts of the past or future disturb your mind, calmly bring your attention back to what is before you, and continue repeating “still–ness” with your breathing.
3. Become Everything
“Let my mind become silent,
And my thoughts come to rest.
I want to be
All that is before me.
In self-forgetfulness,
I become everything.”
—Joseph Cornell
When your mind wanders, repeat the above poem. Doing so will help bring you back into the present.
4. Feel Yourself in Every Sound and Movement
As you walk, feel that everything around you is a part of you. Feel yourself in the trees, standing tall and firm. Feel inside of you the movement of their branches and leaves as they sway and flutter with the slightest breezes.
Become the birds as they flit from branch to branch. Listen to their calls and feel their sounds resonating within you.
Follow the wind by the sounds and movement it creates as it flows through, around and over trees, meadows and hills.
Feel yourself in every sound, movement, and creation of Nature.
“It’s wonderful how everything in wild
nature fits into us ….
The sun shines not on us but in us.
The river flows not past, but through us.”
—John Muir
5. Live Expansively
If your mind begins to dwell on the past or to anticipate the future, focus your thoughts with the following practice:
-As you walk-
Make a smile with your whole body
and joyfully repeat these words:
I am peace—I am joy.
I am in all things.
Always live expansively. Enjoy the contrast between being self-absorbed and small—and embracing a larger world.
(Excerpted from “The Sky and Earth Touched Me” by Joseph Bharat Cornell.)
Deep Nature Play
A Guide to Wholeness, Aliveness and Creativity, by Joseph Cornell
A Guide to Wholeness, Aliveness and Creativity, by Joseph Cornell
