We live in a noisy world…not just the outer world but our inner world too. Filled with thoughts and questions, worries and opinions, perceptions and assumptions. And we can find that we’re rushing around, reacting from fear or feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
It can be difficult discerning and distilling what’s true and hard to find peace when there seems so much to do.
So, what can we learn from Nature?
When we take time to venture into nature, we can observe the stillness all around. Perhaps the oak tree rooted in the ground. A kingfisher poised before diving for the fish. Or the rabbit in the undergrowth, ears pricked, listening for predators. Even the grasses swaying in the breeze return to stillness when the breeze drops.
We too have the capacity to return to stillness, turning down the volume on the noise and distractions and finding deeper clarity and wisdom within.
In the words of Lao Tzu, ‘Do you have the patience to wait until your mud settles, and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving until the right action arises by itself?’
Practice
>Find a quiet spot to observe or be in nature.
>Hold an intention to experience stillness.
>As you’re sitting, or walking, take a few deep comfortable breaths.
>Bring your attention to the breath and allow the mind to gently settle.
>Looking around, imagine seeing the world as if for the first time.
>What do you notice?
>Now look a little deeper and allow your awareness to rest on a plant, a flower, a tree.
>See how still it is, even if blown by the wind, and sense the quality of stillness within it.
>Bring your awareness back to your breath, becoming aware of that still point within you.
>What do you sense? In your mind? Your body?
>How does this compare with when you started?
>Allow insights to arise naturally.