Wherever you are at this moment, try this gentle practice to reconnect with right here, right now—and discover the simple joy of being. Nature beckons, out your window, in your local park, or deep in a forest. Let it restore you and root you in the exquisite presence of now.
Apart from meditation, every day make a little time, even three to ten minutes, just to be still and observe the nature around you. We experience stillness when we meditate. But with eyes open, we can also experience stillness. When we make a habit of experiencing stillness, it also helps a great deal in your activity.
Fix your gaze, sit still, and observe what is happening in the body and environment. When we’re active all the time, our capacity to observe goes down. Even while looking at beautiful scenery—a blooming flower, a tranquil lake—if the mind is constantly chattering, you lose the whole joy of the moment. Just let the river flow and let nature be as it is, rather than labelling it and thinking about it in the mind.
When you drop the internal dialogue, then you enjoy. This becomes possible by doing this short practice time and again. You can absorb all that’s happening without the chatter of the mind. And only you can stop the chatter.
There are many ways. A big shock can stop the chatter in the mind. Or if you consciously say, “I am just going to be here, now, and observe what is,” that also can stop the mind’s chatter. A few minutes of such an exercise can bring inner strength that will help you drop the reactive tendency, which has become habitual in life.
Written by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
