Can’t commit to daily meditation? Do this instead.

Sometimes the exercise that is easiest for you is the one you need the most. Like, for example, exchanging my attempts to meditate in nature for just being in nature.

Meditation is an undeniably helpful practice. Breathing silently for a few minutes has been proven to promote restful sleep and relieve symptoms of anxiety depressioneven improve your gut health. But it’s not always easy, at least not for me. Last summer I tried doing my meditation exercises outside, which helped for a few weeks. My usual reluctance soon emerged. I blinked a few minutes too early. I brought my phone. I skipped sessions altogether. You got it.

This is usually when I punish myself for a lack of willpower. That’s exactly what I did when my therapist interrupted my rant to suggest an alternative to daily meditation: moments outdoors. As she explained it, all you have to do is step outside, take a deep breath and notice the world around you.

Nature meditation made simple

At first this felt like a cop. I should be able to meditate like the ancients or a real yoga teacher! But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that most of the profound, deeply connected, and transformative experiences in my life happened when I was chilling outside alone.

This phenomenon has both spiritual and scientific support. Outdoor spaces have been proven to calm the nervous system. Additional, research suggests that the ‘Noticeing Nature Intervention’, also known as NNI (very official) or simply paying attention to the world around you, can promote well-being during the winter months. I’m pretty sure it will work just as well in the spring, summer and fall.

Every morning when I wake up, I step outside, breathe deeply, and look around for three to five minutes. (Sometimes much more than that.) Here I see the frost on the leaves and the lichen on the bark. Hear the geese flying overhead. Feel the cold air hitting my cheeks. In short, I take a hit to feel alive.

The daily practice feels more honest and less performative than meditating, which was stress-inducing. My breathing patterns naturally deepen and my consciousness expands. Smells and sounds quickly become stronger and more resonant as a result of my senses being on high alert simply because I to use them.

Plus, it’s just fun to go outside on purpose.