Connections, Connections!

Here’s a 2-in-1 post!

First up: Connection with Nature! (1 of 2)

In last week’s post, I shared an Earth Meditation by Dr. Deborah Rozman. This week, here’s a related activity (I learned from a Nature class) that you can try with your kids to help them realize that what they love most about nature is probably something they already know and love most about themselves. I mean, if we’re one with nature, wouldn’t this notion make sense? But what makes us not use nature as a natural “mirror” to see our inner selves?

“Unlike members of nature-centered cultures, at birth, we are physically and emotionally ‘amputated’ from the environment,” writes Dr. Michael Cohen in The Web of Life Imperative.

Cohen also discusses a “Self-Discovery activity (outlined below) can serve as an indicator. People who find value in it show that they trust their non-verbal self and attractions to some extent,” he explains. “That is key in living in balance with nature within and around us. Non-verbal attraction relationships are an essence of the natural world and its eons of creation and sustainability.”

So, here goes a taste of this Self-Discovery exercise I speak of!

(1) Ask your children to pick one thing in nature that attracts them. (For my assignment, I had to go to a favorite spot in nature that felt attractive and comfortable for me and then tune in to what was attractive to me there and why.)

Next, ask your children to explain what it is about the nature element(s) they like. For instance, they might say: “I like (love) trees.” Then, “I like (love) trees because they are beautiful and strong.”

My son did happen to pick a tree as one of the things he most likes about nature. He explained he likes trees because “you can climb them, they’re fun, and they lift you up to new adventures.”

Regarding an area that’s sacred to me in my backyard, my sentence became: “I am attracted to this area of my yard because it is surrounded by greenery, has a gentle breeze flowing (today), and feels peaceful.”

(2) Next, have your children put the “…..because” part of their sentence above after the words “I like myself….” If they chose trees “because they are strong and beautiful,” their new sentence would now be: “I like (love) myself, because I am strong and beautiful.”

In my son’s description about why he likes trees, his new sentence would be something like: “I like myself, because I am fit, fun and love adventure.” (Turns out, his nature attraction totally fits him.)

In my case (above): “I love myself because I am a part of nature (surrounded by greenery), have a gentle breeze flowing (within), and feel peaceful.”

“Your sentence may be a metaphor,” Cohen explains. “Try to find examples of parts of yourself that accurately match this metaphor. Remember that sometimes you have been taught to deny them………For this reason, many people have trouble admitting shamelessly they are beautiful, strong, worthy, etc.”

We want our children to be confident about who they are and in touch with their core right? I believe the above assignment is a fun step in nurturing that!

If you so desire, feel free to share some of your children’s responses (and yours) here.

Next…

Second up: Connection to Shannon’s Post (2 of 2)

If you read Shannon’s post last week, you’ll probably recall her talking about slowing down in this fast-paced world. That’s one of the reasons I do yoga. It’s a sure way to help me to slow down — a way that I can literally feel my inner being slowing down as my body moves through powerful postures that amazingly bring instant union to the mind, body and soul. I’m constantly in awe of the process and how these postures seem to work immediately.

So, after reading Shannon’s words of wisdom — specifically her words: “…..Literally STOPPING whatever I am juggling, and just turning around. Maybe even sit down or bend down……..,” I was prompted to get up from the computer and hang like a rag doll in a Standing Forward Bend posture (Uttanasana) that we do in yoga.

Whew…do that for a few seconds, rise slowly, and something in life magically feels clearer. At least for me it does! How can such a simple posture bring so much clarity — immediately?

YogaCards.com says it best: In this posture, “blood soaks into the mind allowing fresh nutrients to soak into the brain……..there is no pressure on the spine when it hangs. The spine is lengthened naturally and feels relaxed as a result. This yoga posture increases the flexibility of the hamstrings and lower back.”

To think, one simple posture can do all of that, yet there are people popping pills to relax. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around that one.

Another great way to slow down is, as I mentioned last week, to position your body in Corpse pose (Shavasana). The benefits of this “lying still” posture are enormous.

This week, I invite you to try one or both of these postures (Uttanasana or Shavasana) when you feel stressed (or not) or simply need a break.

For Shavasana, perhaps put some soft music on to help create a relaxing atmosphere. Better yet, find a quiet spot in nature where you can hear nature sounds and let your whole body connect with the Earth by lying on the ground.

Referring to a cartwheel I had done outdoors, one of my nature-class colleagues said: “I feel that it is important to touch the surface of the Earth with more than the soles of our shoes, because when we do, it’s like saying thank you without ‘words’.”

Wow, isn’t that so true?

Have fun thanking the earth in a non-verbal way!

With Gratitude,

Penny