Nature can help us throughout many aspects of our lives. But where do we begin? Here we will provide some basic beginner ideas using your natural senses to embrace the power of nature.
This post is all about how to embrace components of nature by focusing on your natural senses.
The five senses are how we perceive the world around us. We will discuss focusing and engaging with nature using four of our major senses, sight, sound, smell, and touch. Toward the end of this article, we will discuss the sense of taste.
Here, we explore ideas that can help you decompress and focus your attention in an effective way, using the simplest strategies, beginning with the smallest of steps.
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “nature heals” and although subjective, this concept rings true for many individuals. We are able to reconnect and discover our truest selves, when we connect with nature.
The first step is to reconnect with nature anywhere you can. Conveniently, you are already built with the components to do this. It is free and won’t cost anything. It will only require a few minutes to begin to focus your attention.
Our bodies are developed to perceive and receive a lot of information all at once. Every so often, it is important to take a step back and focus your attention on each individual aspect. You can do this anytime, anywhere, where there aren’t any major distractions that require your full attention. Therefore we do not suggest practicing the techniques during high focus activities such as driving a vehicle.
Find and notice nature in all things around you:
- You want to begin with exploring the components of nature at any given opportunity. Find the natural characteristics in all things. Stuck indoors? Notice an indoor plant. Your plant may be in your home, office, or in a public place, such as a bank or grocery store. This plant is a creation of the natural world. It just is. It breathes, it lives, it is beautiful and natural, just like you. Enjoy the warmth of their presence, their beauty, and their life. Plants, no matter where you find them, are always connected to you.
- If you’re stuck indoors, take a pause, a break. You can still focus on your natural senses. You can tap into your surroundings and yourself when you take some time to focus on your environment and what you’re thinking or feeling at the time.
Take a Pause
Whether you are indoors or already outside, take a pause, a break. Focus on your natural senses. You can tap into your natural surroundings when you take the time to focus on your current environment and what you’re thinking and feeling at the time. A brief conscious pause can increase your mood, lower your stress levels, and contribute to a sense of overall well being.
This is similar to the beginning strategies for mindfulness meditation. Although meditation is not the focus of this article, we use the first method of taking a pause to engage with nature. By bringing your attention to specific senses, you are able to notice more things around you and choose what you want to focus on. With practice, you’ll naturally see, hear, feel, and smell components of nature. You will experience the sensations of nature individually, and over time, it becomes more prevalent. This technique may even help you bolster your memory of the current moment recall at another time.
If you’re able, get outside, talk a walk. Try to engage the senses.
Focus on Sight
What do you notice first? Notice your surroundings. Are they peaceful, calm, hectic? Are your surroundings relatively safe? Or do you have to be aware of dangers or risks, for example, other people, traffic, uneven footing, loose rocks, fallen trees, other creatures, allergy triggers, etc. Pick out something that comes from nature and ask yourself why you took notice in it. Was is visually beautiful? What were you thinking at the time you noticed it. What is your vision drawn to? Ask yourself why you notice the particular object or situation.
Focus on Sound
What do you hear? Do you hear birds? Bees? Bugs? Rain? Wind? Or do you hear people speaking? If you hear traffic, cars, airplanes or people, try to listen for the natural sounds. Notice what you hear. Nature is always around us. With practice, you’ll begin to notice the sounds of nature such as running water or birds over the sounds of human activity, such as traffic, people speaking, or airplanes. What are you hearing? Is it bringing you peace or anxiety? Focus on the natural noises around you. Experiment with closing your eyes to really tune into the sounds that surround you. How do you feel after hearing and focusing on these natural sounds? With practice, you’ll begin to notice the sounds of nature more readily and easily as you move through your environment.
Focus on Smell
Smells can be especially rewarding in a more natural outdoor areas. Are you near some type of vegetation and water source you can smell? Breathe in the fresh air, focus on your breathing, and notice the scents of your environment. If you encounter pleasant natural scents such as wildflowers, trees, rain, or water, focus on what you enjoy about each component. Enjoy these experiences of being outdoors.
Focus on how your Skin Feels
Is the air fresh? Hot or cold? Do you feel a breeze on your skin? Maybe even the relief of sight perspiration on your neck? Do you feel the sun warming up your body? Do you feel the freshness of the cool night air? Feel the time of day, from your exterior, and notice how it makes you feel on the inside.
By compartmentalizing and bringing focus to your senses individually, you will strengthen your attention to specific aspects of the natural environment over time.
On a trail, near a lake, creek, or within a natural area, the effect of experiencing the basic senses intensifies. With practice and focus, over time, you’ll strengthen your perception and be able to receive the peaceful, calming, and intriguing gifts nature has to offer. Repetition can help you amplify your natural ability to take notice in nature.
It is easy to become wrapped up in our daily lives. Our busy schedules dictate our behavior and habits. Of course we need to establish a routine to function within society, but don’t let that routine take away from your health. Reconnecting with nature can help you find the balance and peace, you may not have known you needed.
So next time you are outside, take just a few minutes to focus on your senses and really notice how your body perceives the world.
Taking a Step Further in Nature
- Take a snack you enjoy. Notice your sense of taste. Are you drinking water, eating an apple, or tasting another delicious food. What sensations do you feel while consuming it? Is the texture, juicy, crunchy, chewy? How do you feel after eating or drinking? If engaging your sense of taste, I recommending doing this activity after you have already completed your focus on the other senses. You could experiment and revisit each sense after you have had your meal or snack. Do you notice any difference in how you perceive things or how you feel internally?
- Take a photo. This is an excellent and easy way to remember where you’ve been or to capture a beautiful moment. Try taking a photo either before or after you focus on each of your senses.
- Try journaling. Try writing down what you are experiencing and whatever thoughts come to mind. If you continue to journal over time, you’ll begin to notice and learn things about yourself. Journaling is an excellent tool to recall the moment you’re experiencing, which could bolster memory and cognitive function.
- Try meditation. Sit or lay down in a safe, comfortable area. There are many techniques and methods for different types of meditation. Beginning with sitting in the moment and focusing on your breath is a great way to start. Meditation in nature can provide a sense of calm and well being.
- Try during or after exercise. Experiment with these techniques during light exercise outdoors such as yoga, or light stretching. You could try this after an aerobic exercise session such as running, swimming, hiking, or rock-climbing. Be aware of how you perceive the environment before, during, and after these activities. The key is to take notice of the moment, and take your time when focusing on each sense and the sensations they bring to your awareness.
Try it out
We hope you will consider these techniques of focusing on each of the senses individually next time you are out in nature. As a result, you may find many benefits including a calmer mind and body. Your memory of the place you’re in may become stronger. Over time, you may feel yourself naturally focusing on individual senses naturally on your own. These ideas are indeed simple, but you’ll notice your senses strengthening and becoming more natural over time. Give it a try and engage your senses to your surroundings. You may receive and develop many more benefits and experiences than you had originally anticipated.