This meditation is meant to help you forge a deep connection with nature.
As it was taught to me,
This meditation comes from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
The meditation is meant to be done outdoors or looking out a window.
It's an exercise in developing your conscious awareness.
Conscious awareness is also known as metacognition.
This is the part of your mind that can step back and observe what's happening to you and happening in the world around you.
So we have the idea of the small self.
Your small self is the place where you're sort of caught in your own little thoughts and worries and little life.
Not meant pejoratively,
But you know that sort of trapped place.
And then conscious awareness is the place where you can toggle out and see the workings of the small self.
You can observe what happens with the small self.
Then you can make choices about it.
So we use this meditation.
It's a great way to develop your ability to toggle in and out of conscious awareness.
And it's a fantastic way to connect with nature and the natural world.
So let's start by settling into your environment with your eyes open.
Hopefully you're sitting outside or at least by a window.
Better if the window's open.
Look around you.
Simply observing,
Wordless watching.
Let your eyes rest on a tree.
Focus on the bark.
Observe the textures.
Notice the variation in colors without naming them.
Just observing how they change.
Is it different when the light is on the leaves?
Is it different when the light is on the bark?
Or when they're in shade?
Is there wind blowing through the leaves?
Do they make a sound?
Listening.
What other sounds can you notice around you right now?
Just take a moment to be with everything that's around you.
What else do you see in your environment?
Let your body relax and get comfortable.
You could be either standing or sitting.
Let your gaze move slowly over the landscape.
There is nothing else to do but simply be here in the environment.
You can simply observe.
Let go of labeling and putting words on things.
Just wordless watching.
You are in this space with all of these plants and minerals,
Air,
Wind,
Sunlight.
Bring yourself fully into that environment.
Notice the smells around you.
Breathing and focusing your attention on the sensation of scent.
Now watch closely for the movement of insects and other critters.
Even if you can't see them,
They're there.
Try to sense them.
There are hundreds,
Even thousands of little lives happening all around you.
They are certainly aware of you.
You're a giant amongst them.
Let yourself become aware of them.
Just taking a moment to tune in.
Are there ants moving in the grass?
Other little busy insects going about their day?
Bees in the air?
Everyone working hard foraging for food.
They are all acutely aware of you.
Send them the energy of your goodwill and allow yourself to receive theirs.
You're sitting at peace with them.
As you increase your awareness of the critters around you,
Let your perspective shift and become more aware of how those critters are aware of you.
You're now moving from your awareness of your experience into awareness of their experience.
First,
Your awareness is in your own experience,
And then you toggle the mind into their awareness of you.
Take a moment to rest with that sensation.
Now return your attention to one of the trees.
Be aware of yourself looking at the tree.
Now,
See if you can sense the tree sensing you,
As though it were looking at you.
So you're seeing the tree looking at you.
The tree can feel your breath.
The tree can sense your heat,
Your movements.
Now rest in that sense of awareness.
Now rest in the experience of being experienced by that tree.
How is the tree experiencing you?
Imagine the tree exhaling as you inhale,
And the tree inhaling as you exhale.
Breathe with the tree for a few moments,
Continuing to feel the tree's experience of you.
This practice may seem very esoteric,
But if you stick with it,
You can shift your consciousness into a very pleasant state of awareness.
Stay with the tree.
Finally,
Can you be aware of yourself looking at the tree,
And the tree looking at you,
And you looking at the tree looking at you?
So there's the basic act of looking at the tree,
Right?
And then there's awareness of the tree looking at you.
And then there's your awareness of yourself looking at the tree that's looking at you.
It's like the third stage of awareness.
I'll say that again.
First,
You're looking at the tree.
Are we looking at the tree?
Good.
Now you're aware of the tree looking at you.
Finally,
You're aware of you looking at the tree that's looking at you.
It's like the omniscient view of you looking at the tree,
And the tree looking at you.
If you can arrive there,
It's a peculiar but delicious sensation that takes repeated practice.
Spend as long as you like toggling from one state of perception to the other.
Enjoy yourself.
You're meditating with your environment,
Connecting deeply to the natural world around you.
So you can practice with the tree,
You can move to a bush,
If you see a squirrel,
Sometimes it's easier with an animal because you can really see them seeing you.
You see the squirrel?
You see the squirrel seeing you?
You tune into the squirrel's experience of you,
And then you step out into the omniscient view of watching yourself experiencing the squirrel experiencing you.
Please do share in the comments,
Let me know what your experience is like.
