How do you stay connected?
To stay connected means to stay in the present moment. Staying in the present moment means we can flow between topics and thoughts all throughout the day, without becoming stressed. Even when stress arises, staying connected to your breath while dealing with the situation has been proven to decrease the health risks associated with reacting to that stress.
Understandably, it is not always easy to connect to your breath and some people have a harder time than others with using breathing techniques. However, there in one simple way to stay connected, without much effort and without reservation.
Look to nature. Normally I would say look within, but if you’re having trouble with that, then it is perfectly ok to look externally, especially when considering nature.
Nature is full of inspiration with its many colors, forest animals, bugs, trees, oxygen rich air and so much more. Looking to nature or the sky and the cosmos can induce feelings of connectedness. It can also make us feel miniscule in comparison to scale, which is why it is a sure-fire way to come back down to earth, so to speak.
Meditation, breath work, brain/focus activities and physical activity can also bring us into that flow. But what if we could just turn our heads to look out the window, look at the sky, the trees, maybe notice a bird sitting on a branch in the tree… even just closing your eyes and imagining those images of nature as you read this, induces relaxation and brings us back to the present.
If you read my article: Top 10 Greatest Health Reward Through Reconnecting with Nature, it says:
“Many studies have shown whether it be in person or by viewing nature in the form of images, paintings or video, or simply by listening to nature or audio recordings, provides positive effects on the body and mind.”
Some of those positive effects include:
Noticeably less stress and anxiety: nature’s beauty has a natural calming effect.
Clears the mind: once the mind is calm, thoughts start to slow down, and focus is upon what is directly in front of you.
Stimulates the brain: once a present state is achieved, the brain rewards the body with a release of dopamine and endorphins, some of the “happy hormones”.
Increases positivity and spirituality: when these happy hormones come out to play, we become more optimistic, we feel more grounded and we feel more connected to our “natural selves”, the way nature intended.
Feeling one with nature can be used as a practice to ease stress and tension. This sense of oneness is then carried throughout our lives and we begin to see just how one we are with nature. For example:
How the bronchioles in our lungs and the branches on the trees look the same.
How the cilia hair in our noses and the grass both look the same, plus they both filter air.
How the brain and the hip girdle resemble walnuts; accordingly, eating walnuts are good for brain health and help strengthen bones. We truly are what we eat!
How close images of the human eye look like the galaxies in the universe; both made up of black holes and an array of beautiful colors.
How the number of cells in ONE human body is more than all the galaxies in the universe:
“Even using the highest estimate for galaxies (200 billion) and the lowest estimate for human cells (1 trillion), there are at least 800 billion more cells in your body than there are galaxies in the known universe.” -NY Times article: 37.2 Trillion: Galaxies or Human Cells?
Then, how the number of genes in our microbiome is more than all the cells of the human body combined and more than there are stars in the sky! Now that is just out of this world!
Appropriately, the human body knows more than we’re led to believe. Going forward, be tapped into the idea that life is interconnected and that you can always access this flow state through these reminders. These reminders can bring us back to the source of life, where we all came from. Adulthood and childhood conditioning can easily make us forget all that magic in the sky, the wind blowing through the leaves and the benefits of fresh air.
Nature is and has always been there for us, to heal us; because we are one in the same. To get connected with nature means to get connected within, which brings a sense of grounding to the body and mind; deeply grounded, as the roots of old oak tree.
For more insight and information on the interconnectedness of our bodies, you can check out my e-book “Connect: A Practical Guide to Fascia”.
