A 7-day nature connection experiment

Meditation in nature; what more could you ask for?

Sick of staring at your phone, doom scrolling through social media or the news?

Maybe it’s time you found yourself a sit spot.

This is a very easy practice that is part nature immersion, part meditation. It requires around ten to twenty minutes of your day (not every day) and the benefits can be life changing.

Keen to know more? Read on.

You can keep across the lunar cycle, if you visit your sit spot often enough.

What is a sit spot?

A sit spot is a place in nature that you return to on a regular basis. A place where you sit and observe the world around you, ideally for around 20 minutes or more.

Along with bird language, plant identification and barefoot walking, it’s one of the key starting points into nature connection. And honestly, a regular practice can have a profound impact on your life.

What are the benefits of having a spot to sit in nature?

A regular sit spot practice has many benefits, on the mind and body.

Like forest therapy, sit spotting as a nature practice can have many positive psychological effects. It may also boost your immune system, improve your quality of sleep (it’s restful and rest is so important) and lower blood pressure. And even brief stints in nature can perhaps benefit cognitive functioning.

Sit spotting is also a helpful way to learn more about your bio-region – to observe the seasons and the flora and fauna around you.

The benefits of a regular meditation practice

I’m not shy nor ashamed about the fact that this newsletter features a ‘sprinkling of woo woo’ (I’m a yoga teacher and rewilding enthusiast after all – you gotta cut me some slack). And I do think regular time in nature, the practice of following threads of curiosity and keying into the world around you has untoward spiritual effects and is in short, good for the soul. Measuring one’s overall spiritual well-being is a hard one and can’t really be backed up by studies, facts and figures, but I’ll stand by this statement.

There’s something about being in nature and feeling a part of it and not apart from it, that nourishes the entire being. I’ve definitely felt it. I’m sure you have too.

How do you find a sit spot?

You don’t have to find a spot in nature where no one will disturb you. I mean, it would be nice, but is it really practical for any of us urban dwellers?

Pick a spot that is, at maximum, a ten minute walk from your house. Any further and it will be too much effort to make it there on a regular basis.

Other things to consider:

• Is the spot safe?

• Is there somewhere comfortable to sit?

• Can you visit it daily(ish)?

• Is it easy to access?

My first sit spot was a mere stroll down the road, in a nearby park, under a big tree. People were constantly walking past, but it didn’t bother me too much. I had plenty of birds around me and a clear view of the sky.

My current sit spot is a little more ‘wild’, located by a nearby creek. I don’t get a lot of foot traffic, more a lot of wing traffic. And that’s exactly how I like it. ◡̈

What should you bring to your sit spot?

It’s up to you, really. Dress for the conditions. You might find it helpful to bring a nature journal (some tips on creating an excellent nature journal coming soon). Maybe some water, if you like to keep hydrated, or are a ‘water bottle person’ as an acquaintance of mine puts it (guilty). Perhaps a towel, blanket or even cushion to sit on, if you wish.

Shoes are, I feel, optional. I wear mine on the walk over, then discard them as soon as I get to my spot, to sink my feet into the earth and feel properly grounded.

What you absolutely shouldn’t bring, are any electronic devices, particularly your phone. Leave anything that will distract you at home.

Take note of the birds at your sit spot. Cockatoos regularly make an appearance at mine.

What do you do at your sit spot?

First, get comfortable. Sit or lie down. Maybe close your eyes for a few moments. Take some deep breaths.

Allow a few more moments to let anything bothering you, surface. Perhaps acknowledge it. Then let it fade into the background.

Begin to take note of the world around you. Some things you may want to observe could include:

• What birds are nearby? Can you see them and hear them?

• If you can see the moon, what phase is it in?

• Are there any elements around? Sun shining, wind, maybe a light drizzle?

• What bugs can you see? Can you identify them?

• Is the sky clear, or cloudy?

• If you’re near water, is it still? Is it rushing past? Can you see any creatures within the water, going about their business?

• What can you smell?

Try to sit still, so you settle into the natural world as much as possible and the creatures around you are not threatened by your presence. They can be wary of us, which you know, is for good reason.

Over time, you may begin to notice things. Patterns in nature. Perhaps the animals and insects around you do certain things at certain times of the day. You’ll get better at identifying the local bird life, and even better, their calls and songs. You’ll realise there’s so much you don’t know, but that also means there’s so much to learn. And that’s a pretty exciting feeling.

For more, check out my previous posts about meditation:

How to begin a meditation practice

While my meditation practice has been going well, my sit spotting practice came to a bit of a standstill, after I moved house twice in six months. So, now that I’m feeling a bit more settled and centred, I decided it was time to get back into a routine.

I don’t necessarily think you need to visit your sit spot every day to feel the benefits. A good twenty minute session or so a couple of times a week is probably enough to get by. However, I am very keen to make visiting my spot a ritual. I needed a carrot, and I enjoy creating challenges for myself and then writing about them on this newsletter (like walking 15,000 steps a day for three months for example or, I guess, eating garden snails)… so here we are.

Here are my notes about sit spotting for seven days, straight from my nature journal. As with any posts of a personal nature, the remainder of this post is for paid subscribers eyes only. I’d be so chuffed if you subscribed (plus you’ll get access to my complete archive) – but if you’re not in a position to do so, I hope you are still convinced that sit spotting is a practice worth exploring.

Sunset can be a lovely time to visit your sit spot.

Day one: Thursday

If I’m gonna kick off some kind of experiment, it may as well start on my favourite day of the week… newsletter day! It’s been one of what I like to think of as ‘stealth Melbourne days’ – where the day starts off cloudy and kind of miserable, yet by lunchtime has cleared into a gorgeous sunny day.

I make my way down to my sit spot after a ‘yogalates’ session and settle in. It rained a little yesterday and the path down to the water is still wet, a welcome sight after such a dry summer.