Take Your Meditation Outdoors with Shannon!
If you’ve ever walked into a meditation store, you’ve probably seen a lot of natural items like feathers, carved wood boxes, palo santo wood, sage, incense, essential oils, precious stones and of course the expensive organic soy candles. What these meditation techniques have in common is that they are a part of nature. If these items offer you so many meditation benefits, wouldn’t it make sense to put yourself in nature instead of bringing small bits of it inside?
Many empathic people and healers who help other people with negative emotions use nature as a ‘prana sink.’ What that means is it essentially helps to clear your energy field because nature is so full of prana. It’s like taking an energy cleansing dip in the ocean of high vibration. There’s actually scientific reasons to meditate in nature in addition to the mental health benefits of the daily silence practice.
Well, meditations are traditionally thought of as going into a quiet, zen state of mind; however, traditional yogis often chanted meditation mantras as well. Here are eight reasons you need to be meditating outside as well as five ways you can do just that today without having to study ancient texts or learn another language beforehand. We also have a simple guided meditation you may want to record in your own voice which will help you raise your vibes in just a few minutes.
Try it on your lunch break! Meditation is simple and profound. The consistent practice of it is the most empowering gift you can offer to yourself.
8 Reasons to Meditate Outside
Not sure why meditating outside is so awesome? Browse these reasons and see if you’re humming a different tune. There is a saying that nature doesn’t rush, yet everything is accomplished. If you want less stress and more ease, meditation in nature is going to help you get that.
1. It Grounds Your Nervous System
Earthing (also known as grounding) is not just a new bio-hacking trend millennials made up, it’s been the way of life for people that live in communion with nature as far back as written history.
2. It Balances the Ions in Your Energy Field
Connecting to the elements has been used as a healing modality throughout many cultures. Because we now understand nature produces negative ions and electronics produce positive ions, it’s a no-brainer as to why nature keeps us balanced.
3. It’s Easier to Reach Theta & Delta Brainwaves
When your mind is overstimulated, you cannot reach the deeper brainwave states you need in order to reach the subconscious. Being ‘one with nature’ allows your mind to take a break so you can deeply relax.
4. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for a balanced physical and emotional state. Getting 10-20 minutes of sunshine will brighten your mood.
5. No Electromagnetic Frequency Interference
You sensitive people won’t be bothered by the draining energy of electronics and appliances and you certainly won’t be tempted to use them during meditation.
6. Fewer Distractions
When you’re alone in nature, you can have time to yourself where it’s just you and your soul. You don’t have to get up to straighten the kitchen or fix a crooked photo hanging on the wall.
7. Inspiring Environment
There’s nothing like beautiful scenery or the awe-inspiring majestic landscapes of nature to soothe our worries and take us to an elevated state of consciousness.
8. Deeper, More Effective Meditation
Your meditation can be much deeper when your energy field is cleared by the abundance of prana in nature.
5 Simple Ways to Meditate Outside
Meditation does not have to be complicated. The whole point is to shut your mind off to make life easier. Relaxing allows you to become more creative so that you can perceive ways of doing things that are less about hustle and more about harmony. When you see how all the pieces are coming together in a relaxed state, your overall health improves as well because you feel supported and know you’re in the right place. See which of these types of outdoor meditation tips call to you, or make up your own versions.
1. Walking Meditation
The ancient tradition of walking meditation puts us in a trance-like state and brings extra oxygen and prana into our body. It also releases the chemicals we need to feel happy after about 15 minutes. You can just focus on your breath, feel your feet on each step or notice the things around you. Allow yourself to be present instead of trying to figure things out. Often the solutions will just pop into our minds when we relax and raise our vibration.
2. Listen to Mantras
Maybe you’d like to sit on your porch or lay out a blanket in the sun while you listen to mantras. The soothing sounds of mantras calm the nerves and there is no shortage of mantras available for all our major life yearnings like abundance, love, and healing.
3. Sit & Take In Everything With Your Senses
Becoming fully present not only helps reduce stress, but it also strengthens your connection to your intuition. When you notice the colors, textures, temperature, sounds, and feelings in real time, you are working on your ability to perceive energy which can help you make sound judgments in your life.
4. Meditate with a Journal
This is a great way to get clear with how you really feel, what you really want or what your heart is trying to tell you about your life. If you want to shift your energy or make an important decision, this exercise can help you contact your inner teacher which is the greatest teacher of all. Write your question clearly and breathe slowly as you wait for the answer to arrive.
5. Use an Affirmation With Deep, Slow Breathing
If you’re working on manifesting something, whether it’s confidence, calmness, a new home or a loving partner, you can use an affirmation. Go to a place where you won’t be disturbed and say an affirmation mentally or out loud on each inhale and exhale. Craft the affirmation as if it’s already come true. For example, “thank you for my loving partner.”
A Simple Guided Outdoor Meditation
Start by sitting up tall and taking five deep breaths in and out of your lungs. You become fully aware of your lungs expanding and contracting on each breath.
Notice the temperature of your breath and any places that feel tight as you breathe. Place your palms face up in a receiving position and then envision your spine connected to the core of the earth like a root.
Now envision a bright yet soft intelligent energy in everything around you. It is in the grass, the trees, the rocks and the specks of pollen floating in the air. The dirt has this vibration which carries energy through nature.
As you have a thought it is sent out through this communication system like a computer network. We will now program this natural network so that you can feel the high vibration state of consciousness that you were born to find. Your own mind directly charges this field.
Start by taking a deep breath in to prepare to charge up your environment with positive energy. As you exhale sense the excitement build that you’re going to experience this shift.
Hold this one simple thought that you’re surrounded by and filled with loving kindness. Every cell and molecule in your body sends this message and you feel it spread into every atom around you. You feel it deeply within the earth and within your heart. Take a slow deep breath and notice the shift that has occurred by channeling your own intention.
Closing Thoughts…
If you make meditating outside a habit you can find your truth. You may unravel patterns or behaviors that developed over years of thinking negatively or being a part of things that aren’t really good for you. You can find freedom, heal yourself and direct your mind to create the life you truly want. Meditation allows you to see what is right for you and what your purpose is. If you do it consistently, the voice of your soul becomes just as easy to hear as the voice of a friend.
Be patient as you start to meditate outside and trust that the process will reveal deep and profound truths that will always help you. Sometimes the intuition guides you without knowing why just to show you that it is indeed coming from a higher plane of consciousness. Try this out and see how your life starts to shift gently towards love.
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