There is a setting that to each one of us encourages a deeper connection to our inner self. For some of us we find this place each week when we attend our spiritual institution and to our practice.
I recently sought a place to be with my spiritual self and attended an “Ashram”. My dear friend looked up the definition of an”Ashram” according to a sanskrit dictionary. He (yes he reads sanskrit!)translated it as a “retreat, giving meaning of meaning, an effort towards liberation.”
This indeed is what I gained in my journey, a feeling of being liberated from what no longer serves me and connected to what does. We don’t have to attend an “Ashram” to experience this. And in fact, it was the natural surroundings of the place I visited along with the people and my own creation of the space that made it so meaningful.
Beyond formal institutions for reflection; there is that place we are all drawn to or should I say draws us into it ,to come and be with ourselves…it is nature.
Nature welcomes everyone of any faith to come and share in peace. It is our haven where we replenish ourselves with the abscence of our busy lives. We relax into the environment that we choose as our place for serenity and find that we are easily taken with a different pace and comfortable. We surrender to the tempo and as we do our bodies decompress and open up for us to enjoy such things as deeper breathes and restfilled sleeps.
All of us need such opportunites with nature. When we purposefully set our intentions on giving ourselves the gift of self- reflection we are acknowledging that our spirit is healthiest when we are in balance with our mind and body.
We can tune into our bodies for signs of such needs. We may recognize them when we feel we are unable to concentrate, lack sleep, irritable, overwhelmed by the details of our lives and need an opportunity to allow the space to be with our thoughts.
So how can we maximize our time with nature? We can prepare by setting the intention to minimize our correspondence with others while we take such tiime for ourselves. We may ask our friends and family to respect our needs.
Should we travel with others we may want to create a time in our day for “silence.” This can easily be practice during meal time where we can experience further benefits to connect our body and mind thorugh our digestive process. Packing what is essential and leaving the rest at home can lighten our load. We may want to bring writing tools such as journals and books that encourage us to contemplate. In addition we may want to spe
Take time for such moments within nature. Find your space to just BE and allow it to be your own. Create time for it. It will repay you with a most precious gift; peace of mind.
In health,
Safara
