I’ve mentioned before, my favorite meditation is lovingkindness, one that I practice quite frequently. It helps cultivate my sense of compassion and caring and (WOTY alert) connects me to others, and so it helps bring me joy in these challenging times.
I also like to extend that lovingkindness to nature, and I encourage you to as well. I have a meditation that I share with my groups that is specific to lovingkindness for nature and I believe this practice helps us care for the environment. We become more aware of the gifts we receive from nature, and how our survival is dependent on hers.
How to Practice Lovingkindness for Nature Meditation
Spend a few moments quieting your mind and body. Allow your eyes to gently close, become comfortable in your chair or cushion, both feet on the ground or sit cross-legged, your hands however is comfortable for you.
Be present in your breath. Notice the gentle rhythm of each cycle, inhale followed by exhale, one after the other, spending as much time as you need to get very familiar with it. And as you sense your breath, consider that with each inhale you’re taking in oxygen that’s released from leaves, plants, plankton. And each exhale is releasing carbon dioxide that’s reabsorbed by plant and tree life. Sense how the simple act of breathing connects you to this vast web of life. Feel gratitude for this symbiotic relationship with nature.
Come back to your breath each time your awareness is pulled away by thoughts, sounds or sensations.
Leave all the tension and stress from the day behind you, become aware of your body, how it’s touching the surface you’re sitting on and release any tension. Notice how nature has a part in this process of letting go as gravity is holding you firmly in place. You can let go of any thoughts or worries or anxieties and be fully present.
Now, taking a moment to reflect on a time when you were recently touched by some experience in nature—something that moved you. Perhaps it was an encounter with an animal or bird. Perhaps it was a tree in a forest, or an ocean or the night sky. Recalling that experience, and then extending your heart with a sense of warmth and kindness, love and well-wishing, toward whatever it was that touched you. May these grasses, may these trees, may all the beings that live here—animals, birds, insects—be healthy. Perhaps you’re radiating a sense of kindness, friendliness.
Use whatever words come to you that express your heart’s wish for the gifts that nature provides. Say these words silently. Repeat them a few times. They can be inspired by whatever is close by, or whatever comes into your mind and heart. Consider whatever part of nature touches you—to whatever you wish to extend this sense of warmth and loving-kindness. May they be safe and protected. May all the beings on this earth be safe and protected from harm. May all endangered species, and all species, be safe. May all life be healthy and vital.
So, radiate a sense of warmth and kindness towards everything in nature. You may be sensing into how this experience is a process of giving and receiving. You may be feeling how loved or touched you are by the natural world, and how the heart naturally wants to respond with offering lovingkindness.
And now, as you bring this practice to a close, thank yourself for sharing your lovingkindness with nature and give gratitude for the gifts she brings.
Gently bring yourself back to space you’re in, the surface you’re sitting on and when you’re ready, open your eyes.
Carolynne
Another great reminder!