How to Be More Present: A Simple Mindfulness Meditation Using Nature

Sep 2

4 min read

When was the last time you were fully present for the moment you were living?

Not thinking about what you need to do later. Not replaying something that happened yesterday. Not scrolling, planning, worrying or mentally rushing ahead to the next thing.

Just... here.

In our busy lives, it can be surprisingly difficult to simply be present. Our bodies may be sitting in one place, while our minds are somewhere completely different. You might be driving your car but thinking about your plans tomorrow. Or playing with the kids but thinking about what to cook for dinner later. Maybe you sit at your work desk and ruminate things from the past.

This is where mindfulness can offer us a gentle way back. This is the practice of noticing when you have drifted from this moment, and use your awareness to come back in touch with your now. The beauty of this practice is the more you use it, the easier it becomes. You can cultivate greater awareness over time, and slowly become more and more present in every day life.

What does it mean to be present?

Being present doesn't mean having no thoughts. It doesn't mean clearing your mind, feeling completely calm or somehow achieving a perfect state of mindfulness. Presence is simply the practice of bringing your attention back to what is happening right now.

A wonderful and easy way to do this is through the senses. Reconnecting with all of our senses and what we are experiencing in this moment instantly brings us back. You can try simple observations like:

The feeling of your breath.
The sensations in your body.
The sounds around you.
The colours and textures you can see.

It is simply giving your full attention to something right in front of you and the moment you're actually living.

A simple mindfulness practice using an object from nature

I remember when I was first guided to stare upon one single object for some time. It was during a meditation retreat many years ago, and this hyper-fixation on one single point was extremely powerful. It was this 'zooming in' that really helped me to get out of my head, out of the thoughts about the past or the future, and connect with the moment that is happening right now. I remember thinking, "wow, I am really here simply looking at a single item and experiencing everything this moment has to offer." It was blissful and brought so much clarity and calm.

I have since created my own version of this meditation. It invites you to gaze upon an item from nature and notice the details you can observe. I enjoy using an item from nature because it also connects us back to Mother Earth and something bigger than ourselves.

In this guided meditation, called The Gift of Presence, I invite you to choose a small object from nature and use it as a point of focus.

It could be:

A stone
A shell
A leaf
A flower
A piece of wood
A feather

or any small object from the natural world that catches your attention.

The practice is beautifully simple. Instead of analysing the object or asking what it means, you simply begin to notice.

Look closely.

Notice its shape.

Its colours.

Its texture.

The tiny marks, patterns and imperfections you may not have seen before.

Then simply notice what happens when you give one thing your full attention.

Why connect mindfulness with nature?

Nature offers us endless opportunities to slow down and notice. There is something grounding about observing the details of the natural world such as the patterns on a leaf, the texture of a stone or the unique shape of a shell.

When we take the time to really look, we begin to see things that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. A simple object from nature can become a reminder to pause, take a breath, become curious and return to this moment.

You don't need to be sitting in a rainforest or surrounded by beautiful scenery, either. A small stone collected from the beach or a leaf picked up from your garden can be enough. Sometimes its the smallest things that can bring us back to what matters.

A 10-minute meditation to help you slow down and be here now

The Gift of Presence is a gentle 10-minute guided mindfulness meditation designed to help you slow down, reconnect with your senses and return to the present moment. Using an object from nature as your point of focus, you'll be guided through a simple practice of noticing and sensory awareness.

This is an invitation to pause and be here, now.

An immersive sound journey awaits

The meditation is accompanied by original music composed especially for this practice by Steve from Heart Resonance.

The music was thoughtfully created around the themes of presence, connection and nature, using carefully considered chords, tones and sounds to create an immersive experience that supports the journey inward.

At Heart Resonance, we love exploring the relationship between meditation, mindfulness and sound. While words can guide use through an experience, the music helps us to feel it on a deeper level. The music becomes another layer of the meditation.