The hidden treasures in nature

Our aim is to silence our mind or at least slow it down to a level where we can enjoy ourselves more being in our body, being in connection to the stillness and oneness. When I look at this, I am reminded to think about utilizing our body and its connection to the nature..I found this to be the key to moving us closer to the inner silence we all strive for.

Natures gift

So what does that really mean when I say use the body to make a connection to the nature...? To me nature is in perfect silence and stillness. When we go for a walk in the forest, the bush or a park we can feel that calmness gradually flow in to our life. Have you ever gone for a walk after a busy day of work and felt the mind getting slower and the busyness slowly vanishing, as well as the feeling of refreshed and calmed when you come home? Among many, this is one of the gifts that nature has for us, if we learn to respect and remember, what it is like to be connected to the nature and be a part of it. When we live in a busy world we sometimes forget what it is to be in nature and be a part of it and be healed from it.

Nature is in perfect silence and it is part of the oneness; it holds the inter-connectedness with everything in the universe, keeping that silence in its being all the time. We need to remember how to be part of it and be in its embrace to receive its gifts. Nature is continually holding this silence, oneness and amazing beauty of creation for us. So how do we make that connection?

Using body senses to make connections to nature

The answer is in our body. When we are fully living in our body, feeling it, we become part of the oneness and part of the nature. Or when we make a connection to nature using our body we get the same results. Nature is a huge force and it has the ability to maintain its silence against the river of thoughts that flow through our minds making us a slave to our mind. Have you ever felt the feeling of being in your body, with your full attention and focus on your body or parts of it? If you have then you must have felt your mind calming down, body relaxing and realized that it's an amazing feeling. We can also utilize our senses to make a connection to nature and be part of it.

There are many ways to make a connection to nature through our body senses. Here are few ways:

• • Seeing the beauty of nature.

  • Feeling the calmness of nature (walking, sitting, lying down, etc.).

  • Hearing the sounds of nature.

How do we do it you ask?

For example: Let us say you went for a walk in the forest or bush and found a place that is beautiful to you; this could be a lush green footing or an area where the trees are blooming with flowers or a landscape or a stream. Whatever makes you feel better and can use your senses to enjoy the nature is what you are looking for.

A few steps to get you started:

Now sit or lie down as you like. Begin to use your senses. If it's a steam and the sound of the trees and birds, then focus on those sounds. At first your mind will try to bring in thoughts from the outside world and the issues you have or what happened to you last week or a month ago etc..

Again pay attention to what you are here for, and begin to hear the sounds and see the beauty of the place you are in. Focus on the sounds again.

This time your mind might strike a conversation within about how beautiful the place is and what is the name of that bird making that beautiful noise and so on...This is okay at the beginning as you are now at least changing your focus from the outside world to where you are. What the mind is now doing is analyzing the nature; yes, it is thinking again. You want to move past this state to go in to a state of focused attention to the sound of the nature. This may take several attempts as you are not used to this.

Remember there is no wrong moves in this, even if you cannot make this work at first attempt, there is a bright side to this; you are in nature and the nature is already calming you down and refreshing your body. The day's worries are slowly fading away while you enjoy the scenery.

Resistance is futile

If you could not make it work at the first go, don't fight it or blame yourself for this..When you resist something you are attaching yourself to the situation and this makes it hard to go away. Notice what is happening within you and realize this is what it is. The mind is at it again, surrender to the fact that this is the case.

Remember, when you notice that your mind is thinking again, you are already in silence which is why you are noticing it. The best way to make it work is to re-focus without blame on what you are doing..listen to the sound of the nature.. Focus is very important in this instance as that is what you chose to do; you are choosing to use your senses to connect with the nature...

The feeling of bliss

If you make this connection you will suddenly feel your being in a quiet space..Stay there as long as you can..while enjoying this feeling..When you have mastered this state after awhile you will begin to feel the bliss of being connected to this state. You are now part of the oneness as well as you are living in this moment.

This is what the animals in nature do, even your house pets do this..Have you seen your house animals be in this state? You may notice when they are there, as they purr or their teeth chatter when they are in that state. Most of them can naturally connect to the nature and be in that bliss state. We on the other hand have forgotten how to make that connection.

I hope this idea and the few steps I have offered can be of use to you as you make your journey to inner silence.