Meditation's Outdoor Advantage

Should you take your meditation practice outdoors? There are many benefits to meditating in nature, from reducing stress and improving your mood to enhancing your cognitive function and strengthening your body-mind connection.

Outdoor meditation blends the calmness of nature with the practice of meditation, which can be an energizing and transformative experience. The fresh air, natural light, and sounds of the outdoors can make your meditation feel more grounded and deepen your connection with the world around you.

However, there are some potential distractions and safety considerations to keep in mind when meditating outdoors. For example, checking the local weather and being aware of potential dangers such as insects or wildlife.

Ultimately, the choice between indoor and outdoor meditation depends on personal preference and your specific goals.

Meditating outdoors improves your connection to nature

Secondly, nature provides a variety of "fascinating objects" to focus your mind on, such as the shapes, colours, and textures of leaves, trees, or rocks. This can enhance your sensory awareness and help you stay present and grounded in your surroundings. Additionally, the natural environment offers biological benefits such as exposure to immune-boosting antigens and better air quality compared to indoor environments.

Furthermore, meditating outdoors can help you connect with the cycles and rhythms of nature. The natural world operates on its own timetable, independent of human clocks, and this can help you step out of clock time and into what is known as "earth time". The cycles of nature, with their ups and downs and constant changes, can provide a sense of reassurance and perspective, reminding us that "this too shall pass".

Lastly, meditating outdoors can help you connect with the deeper meaning and wisdom found in nature. The practice of meditation, allowing your awareness to absorb what is arising in the present moment, often grows out of people's experiences of being in close contact with nature. By meditating outdoors, you can tap into the awe and wonder of each moment and feel more connected to the great web of living things.

It helps to reduce stress and depression

Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, boost happiness, and spark creativity, among other benefits. Adding meditation to the mix can also have positive effects. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, is a research-proven way to reduce stress and improve both mental and physical health.

Meditation helps train your attention to achieve a mental state of calm concentration and positive emotions. It involves tuning into your experiences to focus on what's happening in the present moment. This is done by directing your awareness to your breath, your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body, and the feelings you are experiencing.

Meditation has been found to change certain brain regions that are specifically linked with depression. For instance, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or the "me center" becomes hyperactive in depressed people. When people get stressed about life, the mPFC goes into overdrive. The amygdala, or the "fear center," is another brain region associated with depression. It is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, which triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol in response to fear and perceived danger.

Research has found that meditation helps break the connection between these two brain regions. When you meditate, you are better able to ignore the negative sensations of stress and anxiety, which explains why stress levels fall when you meditate. Another way meditation helps the brain is by protecting the hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory. One study discovered that people who meditated for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks increased the volume of gray matter in their hippocampus.

Meditation also helps prepare the brain for stressful situations. For example, meditating for a few moments before a doctor's appointment or social situation can help shift the brain and body out of the stress response and into a state of relative calm.

Outdoor meditation is a good brain exercise

Outdoor meditation is a great way to improve your mental well-being and is a good brain exercise. It blends the calmness of nature with the practice of meditation, offering a unique and refreshing way to find peace and mental clarity.

Being outdoors in nature has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, boost happiness, and spark creativity. Adding meditation to the mix enhances these benefits. Outdoor meditation can be an energizing and transformative experience, offering benefits that indoor meditation might not provide. The fresh air, natural light, and sounds of the outdoors can make your meditation practice more energized and grounded, and can deepen your connection with the world around you.

Outdoor meditation also activates your senses, making your practice more alert and wakeful. The usual distractions seem far away and less important. It is easier to let go of your worries and electronic devices when you are communing with nature. The natural world entices your senses to wake up, and your hearing and skin receptors become sharper. This heightened sensitivity can bring about a sense of wonder and a deep calm.

Meditation in general has been shown to have positive effects on the brain. Research has found that it helps preserve the aging brain, with long-term meditators showing more grey matter volume throughout the brain compared to non-meditators. It also reduces activity in the brain's "me center", the default mode network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts. Additionally, studies have shown that meditation improves concentration and attention, relieves anxiety and stress, and enhances connectivity between brain regions.

So, if you're looking for a brain exercise that will help you feel more energized, grounded, and connected to the world around you, give outdoor meditation a try. It's a simple and accessible practice that anyone can do, and it may just bring about a sense of wonder and deep calm in your life.

It can be done while walking

Walking meditation is a great way to get outside and connect with nature while also calming and focusing your mind. It is a dynamic form of meditation that can be practised almost anywhere, from a hike in the mountains to a stroll in the city. Walking meditation is also a good alternative for those who don't like to sit with their eyes closed to meditate.

When doing a walking meditation, you can start by noticing how your body feels – heavy or light, stiff or relaxed. Then, bring your attention to your gait and observe how you are walking without trying to change it. Tune into your surroundings – the sights, sounds and smells – and acknowledge them without judgement. Notice any physical sensations, such as the feeling of the soles of your feet touching the ground with each step. Walking meditations often use the rhythm of your gait as a base of awareness to return to when your mind wanders.

Walking meditation is particularly beneficial for people who sit for long periods, as it gets the blood flowing and helps to alleviate feelings of sluggishness. It can also improve your energy levels, reduce anxiety, enhance your sleep quality, and improve your balance and coordination.

If you are new to walking meditation, you can start with a simple 5-10 minute session. You can also combine walking meditation with seated meditation, either before or after your walk.

You can also try sound meditation outside

Meditating outdoors is a great way to blend the calmness of nature with your meditation practice. It can be an energizing and transformative experience, offering benefits that indoor meditation might not provide. One way to meditate outdoors is through sound meditation.

Sound meditation involves sitting or lying in a comfortable position and closing your eyes. Instead of labelling the sounds you hear, simply listen and let them come and go. This practice can deepen your connection with your environment and help you cultivate a sense of presence and awareness.

When focusing on sound, try to maintain awareness without judging or trying to identify the source. If you are a birdwatcher, this will be difficult, as you will naturally want to identify the birds you hear. For everyone else, this is an agreeable method. Once you are comfortable with it, awareness-of-sound meditation can be practised anywhere.

You can start sound bouncing by taking several deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Start counting those breaths. Once you hit 10, shift your attention from your breath to the world around you. Close your eyes and listen.

Once you identify a sound, label it, then search for another. For example, if you hear birds, say to yourself: "Birds." Then move on: "Car." "Wind." "Trees." Continue in this manner for several minutes, not attaching to any one sound but letting them flow by, one by one. If you run out of sounds, repeat the labelling exercise for ones you've already heard. Once the timer dings, finish with two huge, deep breaths.

Sound meditation can be a great way to connect with nature and cultivate a sense of presence and awareness. It is a simple practice that can be done anywhere and can help you feel more grounded and energized in your daily life.

Frequently asked questions