Mindful Nature Activities for Connecting with Nature in the City

mindful nature activities for connecting with nature in the city

Mindful nature activities to try in the city

Have you been thinking about trying out some mindful nature activities? In today's busy, fast-paced world, it is easy to feel disconnected from the natural world. We spend most of our days indoors, staring at screens and rushing from one task to another, forgetting to notice the power and beauty of the natural world.

But taking the time to connect mindfully with nature can have a profound impact on our wellbeing and sense of peace. In fact, research has shown that connecting mindfully with nature can reduce stress, anxiety, depression, improve focus, attention and creativity and even boost our immune systems.

So, how can we connect more mindfully with nature? Here are a few ideas to help get you started.

Go for a mindful nature walk

This might seem a really simple thing to do, but just going out for a walk - even round your neighbourhood, is a great way to get outside and appreciate the natural world.

Make sure that instead of marching along with your head down and your headphones in your ears, you try to be present and really notice the sights, sounds and smells around you - and if you struggle finding plants or wildlife, turn your gaze up and appreciate the clouds, breeze, sunshine and sky.

Engage your senses and tune in to nature

As you move through and interact with the world, take the time to tune in and engage your senses. Take of your shoes and feel the grass on your toes. Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of a nearby stream. Pick up a leaf and study its shape, texture and colour.

By engaging your senses, you will not only begin to deepen your connection to the natural world, but you will also learn about and develop a deeper understanding of the plants, animals and ecosystems in your neighbourhood.

Be grateful for your nature experience

As you spend time noticing nature, take a moment to think about and feel grateful for all the wonderful things around you. Maybe for the warmth of the sun on your face, the chirrping birds, or the way the leaves rustle in the wind.

By focusing on the positive aspects of your surroundings and the beauty and wonder you experience, you will begin to cultivate a deeper sense of appreciation, joy and connection.

Summary

As we have seen, it is more than possible to enjoy mindful nature activities even if you live in the city. Not only that, but by connecting mindfully with nature, we can tap into the healing power of the natural world and cultivate a sense of peace and wellbeing within us.

So, the next time you are feeling stressed or disconnected, take a moment to walk outside and engage with your surroundings. You will be amazed at how quickly you can unwind when you decide to notice and enjoy nature.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, feel free to leave a comment below and let me know how you get on and don't forget to subscribe below for new articles and nature connection resources.

See you soon and happy nature walking,

Leila x

Subscribe to My Nature Nook

The Benefits Of Mindful Foraging

the benefits of mindful foraging

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links, so I may recieve a small commission if you choose to purchase any item. This will not affect the price you pay, but it will help me keep this site going x

The Benefits of Mindful Foraging

Have you ever stopped by a hedgerow or patch of scrubland in late summer or early autumn to enjoy some wild blackberries, or stooped to savour the taste of a sunripe wild strawberry? If you have, then you have enjoyed a spot of foraging!

Sometimes there is a tendancy to think of foragers as electic, rebellious folks who tramp around the countryside with baskets, trowels and pruning scissors to return with their baskets and pockets overflowing with leaves, nuts, seeds, fruits, roots, shoots and fungi...

But even little moments like nibbling a blackberry in passing straight from the bush, can be considered foraging. And if done with mindfulness, can give us as many, if not more benefits than tramping with dogged and single-minded 'foraging' intention.

So, I thought it would be nice to pause a moment and consider some of the many benefits of foraging.

Foraging is enjoyable, relaxing and meditative

For me, I think one of the best reasons to engage in mindful (and spontaneous) foraging, is the sheer joy of finding something deliciously wild and edible and having been given the gift of that opportunity to enjoy its wildness and flavour.

Mindful foraging with intention is also enjoyable in a different way - it is fun and thrilling. A bit like playing a treasure hunt, where you must pay attention and use all your senses to find what you are seeking.

Once you find your treasure, whether it be sought after or spontaneous, touching and reaching out for the gift offered to you is therapeutic, relaxing and meditative in itself; requiring rapt concentration and focus to nose out the healthiest leaves or the biggest, juciest berries.

Foraging connects you to nature

When you forage, you connect. You recognise the plant, touch it, smell it and taste it and in this way you get to know it. In fact, often this is the closest we get to interacting with and getting to know our wild trees and plants.

Over time, if you are mindful, you get to know the plants throughout their life cycle and in the different seasons of the year. You see how they grow, mature and develop... How they change from seedling to young plant, to flowering plant and to seed heads.

If you are very, very mindful, you will find you knowledge growing as start getting to know their particular quirks and habits, dislikes and preferences too! You will begin to notice which plants like the sun and which like the shade, or which enjoy really damp soil.

Not only is it nice to connect so deeply with trees and plants by getting to know them in this way, but it also makes your future foraging experiences easier - you either know exactly where a particular specimen in growing, or you know what habitats you should be looking for to find the species you are after.

A few considerations when foraging

While it can be tempting to rush out and start foraging, it can be helpful to keep a few things in mind:

When first starting out, only aim to forage one or two specimens which you know you can identify with complete confidence. And, if you have any doubt about a plant's identity whatsoever, seek the advice of someone who has botanical or foraging knowledge - it is better to be safe than sorry.

Always make you sure you have permission to forage on the land you intend to forage upon - sometimes foraging on public land such as nature reserves is forbidden. And remember not trespass upon private property. Also, before you pick anything, make sure there is no restriction or prohibition about picking that particular plant. Sometimes it might look like there is a lot of it - but there might only be a lot of it in that one location and it is actually scarce elsewhere.

Take only as much as you need for your own use and where possible, only harvest the parts of the plant that you need to use. For example, do not pull up the whole plant just to use the flowers, seeds or leaves. Follow the foraging rule of only harvesting from one in ten plants (for common plants) or one in one hundred plants (for less common plants).

Lastly, be aware of your surroundings and try not to foraging in dirty or polluted areas. If you are near running water, think about what might be upstream of that water... And, always be mindful of your plant's neighbours too - you do not want to end up scratched or stung by briars or nettles while intently engrossed upon your target.

Would you love to learn more about foraging?

There are many ways to turn your interest in foraging into reality and sustainably harvest and use wild-foraged plants, trees and fungi.
 
Books are a great way to start learning more about our most common edible fungi or plants, but until you become confident in identifying what you find - and knowing they are in fact truly edible and not a poisonous look-a-like, it is best to find a guide or mentor.
 
If you are looking for online courses with experienced, friendly mentors, The Herbal Academy is a fantastic place to check out. They have some fabulous courses all about botany, foraging, mushrooming and wild-crafting, with in-depth videos, books and recipes to help you learn about, identify and use our most common edible plants.
 
Curious? Why not check them out by clicking the links above or below - and don't forget to subscribe if you enjoyed this post and would love to receive updates about future posts and tutorials x
Botany & Wildcrafting Course by Herbal Academy

Subscribe to My Nature Nook

Why being in nature won't help you de-stress

why being in nature won't help you de-stress

Why being in nature won't help you de-stress

Have you ever heard that being in nature is good for you and is one of the best things for stress? Well, what if I told you that this is not true and simply ‘being’ in nature is just about as good as not being in nature at all and in fact, being in nature won't help you de-stress.

Well, okay. Being in nature can help you de-stress, but only if combined with mindfulness and connection. 

Imagine for a moment that you are walking through a park. But you are wandering along with your eyes glued to the screen and your headphones in your ears. You flick glances occasionally this way and that around the screen, your thumbs absently scrolling, while your thoughts ruminate over worries and stresses, frustrations and anxieties. 

How would you feel by the end of that walk?

I’m guessing that by the end of this walk, you would be feeling just as stressed as you were when you started it. In fact you probably would not have been aware that you had just completed your walk and wondered how you arrived at the end of it!

How to de-stress in nature instead...

Now, imagine walking through that same park. But this time, with you phone safely out of the way in your pocket and your senses turned outwards. You turn your head towards the sounds you hear - bees humming, grasshoppers strumming and birds singing vibrantly in the trees. You breathe deeply, enjoying the inhaled perfume of roses, lilac and hyacinths, cut grass and recent rain. Joyfully, your eyes wander this way and that, delighting in the sunshine and clouds, the dappled leaves, the fluttering butterflies and the beautiful flowers.

How would you feel by the end of this walk?

I’m guessing you would be feeling pretty good. Definitely less stressed and perhaps more hopeful, energised and content.

These two walks were both in the same place, but the results are so different. This is because while doing the second walk, you were present and aware, using your senses and noticing all the amazing things happening around you. But during the first walk, your attention was directed inside your own head, leaving you unaware of what was going on.

I believe it is this mindfulness, which makes the difference in helping you de-stress when in the presence of nature. Not simply the act of being physically in nature. What do you think?

Why not try it the next time you are out and see if you notice a difference.

Goodbye for now and happy nature walking,

Leila x

What next?