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APNC Spring 2020 Mod 1 Lesson 1- Forum
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27 Replies
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Nature connection for me is about creating inner calm, balance, and self-awareness between my body, mind, and spirit, the environment, and with those around me. This can be captured, as noted in Module 1.1, through self-connection, nature-awareness, mindfulness, deep listening, and intention. Balance has always been important for me and has been a key factor in my personal and professional choices and any success I’ve enjoyed. I was fortunate to grow up in Arizona and Colorado and spent much of my time in the wilderness hiking, climbing, and camping. I have tried to stay connected to nature by bringing my family to the outdoors, but not nearly as often as I would like. I recognized the need for nature and balance in myself years ago, and developed an early morning ritual of deep breathing and complex stretching outside before walking or a workout. This habit helps me maintain stronger balance, flexibility, and greater awareness, and I feel the difference throughout the day. I’m also fascinated by the stars and planets, and especially the moon. I sense in the constellations and mountains that we see glimpses of the past, the present, and the future. Recognizing that for millennia people saw the same constellations and mountains we see today provides me time to think, reflect, and consider where I’m headed through my choices, and how I’m using my time on the planet.
My challenge today is grappling with growing regret and feeling stuck working in a corporate job that pays well, but does not satisfy my personal and professional needs and makes me feel alienated from my values, talents, and purpose. I have plans and goals to pursue what connects me to my passion and is aligned with my purpose, which is a combination of earning a Doctorate degree, becoming an adjunct professor, and coaching through some form of nature connection. Michael’s comment, “Don’t give up on your vision, because it’s important, and pulling the passion out of the leader through various ways”, was spot-on for me. I particularly enjoyed his story about the NOLS experience and learning more about himself as a leader, but also asking questions about how wilderness changed people, how it affected people, and the need to ask and seek answers to sacred questions. And later, going beyond and taking action by designing and developing a program to help people with these life questions and challenges through nature-connection is inspiring. Finally, I believe I know what I need to do and will be making changes in my personal and profession life. I’m also aware that major change requires courage, confidence, determination, and focused energy. The nature-connected course will support my journey. -
Being in nature is “second nature” to me. I lived in the mountains near Idyllwild when I was young. We were taught to be part of the nature around us and to leave the forest better than we found it. Summer school there was learning about the different varieties of pine trees, the life cycle of the grey squirrel and natural fire management of the forest. Our local hero was Smokey Bear—no kidding. When we eventually moved to the city so my folks could find better paying jobs to support their growing family, I grieved losing all my friends (trees, streams, birds, stars in the night sky).
I always feel my best and most authentic self in nature. And, even though I did not pursue a career involving the forest, I return to it whenever I need to feel I am home. I my mind, we are all nature—every life form. And we are all “room-mates” on the Earth. To be a good roommate, you must consider the results of your own actions and how to best co-exist with your roommate. Nature is the perfect example of that. Respect nature and you will develop and sustain and meaningful relationship—one that is mutually beneficial.
The biggest challenge I face maintaining that connection are with other humans. Many of them do not understand or appreciate the world we live in. Although I respect their right to their own belief system, it is difficult when they do not respect mine or the time I need to spend “at home.” Fortunately, I have developed some human friendships over the last few years that support and even admire my relationship with nature. Some of them share a similar nature “DNA” and feel more like family to me than most of my family of origin. I am grateful to have a few human friends that encourage me to be at home. And must add that it was my Dad who first taught me about the stars, thunder and lightning, being a guardian of the land, and appreciating birds. When we lived in the mountains, the two of us frequently sat on a large boulder near our cabin and just listened to the forest together. We never said a word–but communicated completely.
Laugh often-
:Doc -
Wayne, thank you so much for your detailed and heart-felt response to this first module in APNC! I can sense the impact of calm and balance that nature has brought to your life and that you deeply understand the value of spending time in the great outdoors. It’s wonderful to hear that you are on a great career path and that you are also aware that the need for balance will always be there. And one way to know that what we say is authentic to us is when we see the need and desire to share that internal experience through nature with others. Which is what you just shared! Looking forward to seeing more of your posts and learning more about you from this course!
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Doc, what a wonderful way to spend time with your dad as a kid! And that your quality time together was learning and exploring combined with a healthy dose of silence and just being with each other. And I completely understand when you say that many people out there do not understand, or want to understand, that we are roommates on this planet and that we need to appreciate this planet and the time we spend on it. And that is why having like-minded people to connect with in this perspective and deep love for the earth is so important. So I am so glad that you are here with us on this course and connected with the enormous EBI community of nature-loving folks!
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The first biographical detail I need to share is that I grew up on the 20th floor of an apartment building in New York City, far above the few trees that grew on my street and the river that flowed on the east side of the island of Manhattan. Mirroring our species’ recent history with the natural world, my family—and all the others in my concrete and brick base, towered over the natural world and pushed evidence of its existence to the fringe. Ever needing my space as a moody teenager and old enough to hop on my banana bike and take off on my own, I thankfully discovered the refuge that was and is Central Park. I would get lost in the limbs of its elms and oaks and the long grass of its meadows and feel safe and at home, like I could breathe.
But like the plot twist in Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree—when the young boy forgets to visit his beloved apple tree as his life is too busy for such overtures, I forsook nature and its power to replenish and heal me for at least 15 years as I roamed the globe in a workaholic haze making documentaries for public television, ironically, about the need to protect Mother Nature. (I’m not kidding! My first big series was even called RACE TO SAVE THE PLANET!) Talk about a disconnect. Even when I was lucky enough to “settle” down and raise a family and start a career as a counseling psychologist in the mountains near Vail, CO, I still did not SETTLE down and seek the quiet company of nature now no longer at a distance, but all around me, and yes now TOWERING over me. I made many forays into the wild–on backpack trips with our kids, and during fast runs through the trees ski hills while teaching young visitors to ski. But I was not allowing the space and time for a timeless connection. I am not sure I even knew to seek this, to expect it.
Five years ago, I received a magnificent re-introduction to nature during a leap of faith trip to North Carolina. I had signed up without any research (very unlike me) nor any hesitation to get trained for 9 days in the Great Smoky Mountains to be a forest bathing guide. Much like the description Steven Harper gives in The Way of Wilderness, out on deep sensory walks in the woods just minutes from the Appalachian Trail, I felt webs connecting me to everything in the area. It was a turning point for me as well. From that day on, my mind and body and spirit helped me to grasp anew that I am the most attuned and alive and creative and happy when I am in relationship with nature. And I know deeply now that there is no real divide between us as it had seemed up in my NY tower or during my -work-until-you-drop 20s and early 30s. There is an activity or invitation– as we say in the forest bathing world–called Bungee Bows that I love to suggest for my walk participants because it involves noticing the beings of the more than human world that are pulling on our heartstrings, allowing ourselves to be pulled to them, and then bowing before them upon arrival, as a sign of respect and gratitude. This is how I feel every day now whether out in the wild or in the edge zone of an urban area or in my yard or watering a plant inside my home.
Not to say I don’t have challenges at time maintaining my connection to nature. Disconnection can start with waves of anxious activation—more prevalent during the pandemic– that ripple through my body and make me want to hide in my head and away from my feelings. Worried and now in my head, I begin to project my shadow side on to the wild world, as if the danger I am running from, lies out there. It is of course my own raininess and muddiness I fear. With a guide or a friend or some time and some positive self talk on my side, I begin to remember that the forest has my back, than I can lean in and trust. New Yorkers do take a while to be fully trusting but I am getting there!
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Doc, I love the description you shared about being with your dad quiet and super connected. I have learned after too much delay in my life that talk does not take the highest spot in the pyramid of connection and that our other ways of being with others with our underutilized other senses are even more powerful communicators. Thank you for saying that in your way here.
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Module 1, Lesson 1- Nature Connection
Stacy Prater-Vigil 4/2020
Nature connection for me is a way to align with pure possibility like a seed, like stars, like an old oak standing still, almost stopped in time. Everything is possible in nature. I like what Mike said in our opening call, that everything is made up from something that is from nature. Of course, many things morph into things that don’t look “natural” but at its core IS nature. Some people SEEM so far removed from nature and others do not. I think it’s always a choice. I am always at choice to be in connection with the primordial creation, uncertainty, mystery, sounds, rhythms of the natural world or not. The ABILITY to connect and how deep becomes MY PRACTICE. My practice is personal AND connected to something greater than myself, that sweet paradox that IS life.
I loved living and working in the cedar filled mountains outside of Kyoto, Japan. I hiked alone, among the cedar trees everyday, managing some of their growth systems. I deepened my learning of how to shift my energy to a receptive or connective space instead of a dominance stance and the trees “told” me where to go next, which tree to give my attention to. In that receptive space, many times the “energy” would be so great that I would get sleepy. In that sleepy space, the forest floor would be my bed, and the leaves , sticks, and soft delicious smelling duff would be my pillow. My dreams were my medicine, my dreams would guide me deeper into unknown consciousness, into the deeper realms of mystery. I accessed my version of the nothingness that is the fodder for all creation. After waking, there would always be some sort of “gift” or “proof” that the dreams were real for me, my greater awareness expanded.
Accessing that space is a state I often get to sitting in quiet contemplation next to rustling aspens or a crinkling creek. I believe everyone has their own “source” and I, as a “guide” cannot define what that is for another human being but can guide and support people finding their own way….to their own nature connection. A challenge I may have in accessing my greater connection, is taking the time to do it, to choose it. Sometimes I get lost in the busy thoughts and actions of our society and I forget to consciously connect to my Nature Energy. This is where it becomes my commitment (or not) to My Practice. A practice that nourishes me, that is always available, is sustaining, and the more I practice, the more it grows from within and connects with all life. Spider Medicine becomes part of my practice. -
Jane-
Believe me, I have MANY references to the time spent with my Dad experiencing nature. Even my very first memory is of being with him and learning about nature. He was surprised to find out I remembered it, but I wasn’t. That’s definitely quality time with a kid.Laugh often-
:Doc -
Stacy and Jane, thank you so much for sharing your personal insights and authentic experiences with nature. And I love the diversity in geography that’s being shared here!
And with all of these amazing responses that have come in I also want to share a little bit of my experience with this question.
What is Nature-Connection, why is it important to you, and what are the real challenges that you face in maintaining your connection?
To me nature connection is more of an internal experience than an external experience. I view nature as a container for deep introspection, a teacher and metaphor to the great mysteries of life, and a mirror to my current state and true self. Nature connection is when I am able to perceive the outside from an internal lens that guides me towards the answers to the questions that I am bringing to my nature experience. I am truly able to explore my internal wilderness through my time spent in the external wilderness.
I can only connect with nature and be rooted in my experience as deeply as I am connected and rooted within myself. And that is why nature is the perfect mirror, if I feel angry and agitated as I go into the outdoors then I will immediately know this because everything in nature just annoys me more. And if I enter nature with respect, gratitude and intention then my experience will mirror that with the outside world. I will see all the beauty and splendor that nature is showing me at every turn on the trail.
And this is why nature connection is important to me. I’ve learned more about myself from my time in nature than in any classroom or office. Nature has become my sanctuary for learning what truly matters. And how I need to be in the world. And the greatest challenge I face in this connection with nature is my own self. Yes, the outside world offers plenty of distractions and “noise”, but I am also aware that I have the power to tap into nature connection at any time by tapping into my own internal wilderness.
Nature connection isn’t just a physical act in the woods, it’s a way of being in every moment of our lives. So in the end I know that I am my greatest ally and I am also my greatest challenge in deepening my connection to nature.
Because nature is all around me. All the time.
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What is Nature Connection?
Nature Connection is the deep, unshakable knowing that each of us individually are whole because we are intrinsically connected to the Whole. There are at least two ways to remember this knowledge. We can go within or outside to find it, either way takes us to the same place. The paths to this knowing are connected, in my mind, by a loop so that no matter where you start, you can recognize the multiple ways to tap in. Within can be through meditation, self-reflection, devotion and so on. Taking the path outside has a number of avenues. It can be through externalizing our inner challenges on our surroundings leading us to hit rock bottom which, ultimately, can be a catalyze for connection. Going outside can also take the form of working with nature to learn how to overcome our fears and our challenges. I’ve experienced both avenues and have since started to practice going within with more regularity.
Why is it important to you?
Nature Connection empowers us to own and be accountable to our personal power. Whether or not we know it, I believe we create the reality we experience. When we recognize our connection to the Whole we can harness our power to assist us with aligning our life with our purpose. If we can recognize that our challenges are opportunities for growing into our power it can allow us to move beyond our suffering. Nature Connection allows us to discern between what we can control and trust in what we can’t control. Often times what we can’t control is the vessel for our life lessons and growth.
What are the real challenges that you face in maintaining your connection?
The never ending to-do list – Time with two free hands is limited with two kiddos, so I tend to tackle my to-do list to feel productive, but it never ends, so I need to be intentional about balancing time and space for practices that feed me. On good days I have a Nature Connected attitude and integrate practices into my daily routine – this is usually preceded by spending time outdoors.
The Victim and “I can do it all on my own” mentality – When these arise for me I tend to be at my worst; I disempower myself and I am disrespectful in my relationships.
Excuses – sleep deprivation, stress from work and being over extended, my body physically hurting
Placing limitations on myself – I don’t have enough time, I’m not in the mood, I can’t connect when I’m also taking care of my kids (duh, what a great time to connect and lead by example) -
Hello all,
I truly appreciate each post. I’d like to highlight some phrases or words that struck me and provide a brief response:Wayne: Early morning ritual – sounds so nourishing, it’s an inspiring practice! Feeling stuck – seems like this awareness is fueling your drive to get un-stuck!
Doc: Finding your family – ah yess, it’s so good especially if you’ve feel like you’ve been estranged for a long time! I also look forward to sharing the thunder and lightning with my kids.
Jane: Banana bike, leap of faith and bungee bows – oh my! What a wonderful journey! I also appreciate your perspective on your fears.
Stacy: Practice is personal and connected, a sweet paradox – mmm, so good! Also, WOAH to your Cedar forest dream magic! So incredibly cool!Robin calls, so I must go. See you all soon!
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As a youth growing up in the Midwest, I looked forward to the summer months when we would visit friends and family in the lake communities of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
These outings created some of my earliest memories of connecting with nature through activities like fishing, hiking, canoeing, and exploring the woods.
Some of my fondest memories are ice fishing in -30 degree weather, fall canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe area and lastly hiking all of the state parks along the north shore of Minnesota. As a young teen, I joined the Boy Scouts of America, which introduced me to the basic skills of how to exist within nature in a respectful and sustainable manner. Later as a young adult, I joined the Army Reserves which among other things, honed my outdoor skills and gave me a sense of confidence in a variety of outdoor environments.
All of these experiences in some way helped build and strengthen my connection and appreciation for nature; however, it wasn’t until I moved to Colorado that my true connection with nature flourished.People often ask me why I moved to Colorado and I like to tell people that I needed a new back yard.
The day I arrived in Colorado my wife Beth introduced me to our new puppy, Jasper, a Texas Blue Lacy.
A Texas Blue Lacy is a working ranch dog and we quickly discovered that he needs about 2 to 4 miles of walking/hiking each day to keep him satisfied.
Little did we know that Jasper would drastically change our lives and ultimately transform our relationship with Nature.
We are fortunate to live in Boulder County, where open spaces and hiking trails are plentiful so for the first year we explored the hiking trails along the Front Range.
This kept us all quite satisfied and we loved exploring our new back offered. A year later, Koa, a Texas Red Lacy came into our lives and together with Jasper developed an insatiable appetite for the trail. For the first few years we were walking the pups twice a day for 2-3 miles, but come the weekend they were looking for more.
We decided to take Jasper and Koa on a hike up one of Colorado’s 14ers. For those who might not be familiar with the term 14er, it is a mountain with its peak at 14,000 feet above sea level. Colorado is home to 58 14ers, the most of any state.
Eureka, we had discovered one of Jasper and Koa’s innate passions, to be on trial, working, route finding, and exploring through wooded slopes, alpine terrain, boulder fields, and snow-covered peaks. We had discovered a passion that allowed us to spend time together outdoors, void of our daily routine, challenging our physical and mental abilities.It was the daily ritual of hiking that changed my Nature Connection.
I have found that hiking daily is similar to walking meditation. It gives me an opportunity to set my intention for the day, appreciate the beauty of the season, and nourish my physical and mental health.
The fact that I get to share that with my family is a bonus. It has been amazing watching Jasper and Koa interact with Nature on such an instinctual level.
Their happy, carefree, and curious behavior serves as a reminder of what behaviors I strive to reflect. I remember asking myself if I would ever get tired of seeing the Continental Divide on my daily hikes. To this day it is the view that I most look forward to. Although they are the same grouping of peaks, each day offers a new opportunity to appreciate their stature and beauty. I try to apply this same appreciation to those that I interact with daily. Loving them for who they are and for loving me for who I am that day.Maintaining my Nature Connection is an ongoing challenge for me, as I often find it difficult to be fully present during the time I’m committing to being within Nature.
Here are a few tools I use to help maintain my presence.
Deep breathing helps to slow the heart rate, increase oxygen levels, and process the incoming aromas.
Visual scanning to identifying the birds, flowers, and animals of the day.
Listening for the intricate sounds of the birds, crickets, prairie goffers, cows, and wind through the trees.
Practicing gratitude for the things I experience on my journey.
When my mind wonders I re-center myself by using the mantra “Just This”. -
Jane – I really appreciate the acknowledgment in your stories about the different ways of connecting with nature. That deep, inextricable sense of connection you experienced seems like one of the reasons your trip to NC was different than anything before. I wonder if you had glimpses of that before. Is it the reciprocity that helps us really connect? I wonder about how we, as humans, can engage with “nature” so much, but not really feel in relationship or a part of it. Does giving thanks and acknowledging the beings we are with as people create this shift? Thanks for your share…really thought-provoking for me.
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I feel a deep sense of gratitude to each of you, all sharing so openly and honestly, your stories and connection to nature. You have each inspired a deeper curiosity about what nature connection means to me.
I grew up in outback Australia on a quarter of a million acres, so there was no shortage of space to wander. I did school by distance education until I went to boarding school at the age of eleven. I have wonderful memories of exploring and learning to be resourceful with what you had. We were given a great deal of freedom as children that fostered an appreciation for nature, our own abilities and problem solving. Nothing like getting bogged 40km from home when you are ten, you had to work out how to pull the car out or walk home, we learnt to drive early. My early connection to nature was one of great fondness but one that was unbalanced, leaning towards how nature could work for me. It wasn’t until I returned to the bush as a young adult that the sheer beauty and vastness of such a country could take your breath away. Nature has had me pausing in awe ever since, I often find myself pausing unable to articulate the sheer volume of feeling and curiosity it stirs within. It is in nature that I feel completely grounded and centred, an energy flow that really lets me be at one with what I think, know and feel. I feel very open and present in the world when among nature. A few years ago I experienced a profound moment in nature that made me find courage to face the fear, the experience itself was like a calling and had me redirecting my life. I recently spent some time climbing in Argentina, it was a few weeks where every day I was so completely present and aware of my surroundings, it was a transforming energy and one that I crave now.
Wayne, I’m also fascinated by the moon cycles and the constellations, in Polynesia the islanders navigate the pacific by the stars, with extreme precision, they say you can’t look up at the stars and no where you are, you need to know where you came from to know where you are going. They remember each and every star and constellation which then informs their next ‘star’ bearing. The knowledge and intuition attached to this amazes me, we are so reliant on technology in our lives we have lost the connection and ways in which nature can inform us. There are many other aspects like the swell and speed of the boat that these navigators calculate and commit to memory for 22 hours per day, it is a very holistic process.
I think it is so important in our own growth and personal journeys to be aware of where we came from. For me my evolving connection with nature will guide my understanding of those more existential questions that comes with growth.
I relate to many of the challenges you have all mentioned. I’m most guilty of inconsistency I have a desire to create rituals that keep me grounded and connected during periods of busyness but I will often find that the pressure to be busy wins and I’ll let the practice slide one day and that turns into weeks. I’m guilty of doing things quickly so it is important for me to slow down and be comfortable with stillness.
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For me, nature-connection refers to the journey of strengthening my relationship with the natural world both in and around me. It is that “reclaiming of our wildness” that Steven Harper wrote of, the unleashing of my true “vitality.” My journey so far is a conglomeration of discovering how the natural world influences my physical, emotional and spiritual self, and also recognizing how my own actions influence the natural world. It is feeling how the moon’s cycles impact my own energetic and physical cycles. It is befriending the plants that soothe my anxiety. It is sitting with the sunset. It is being conscious of my role in consumerism. It is awakening to the bird songs and lying still, building awareness of their language. It is learning about the connections between astrology, plants and humans. It is expressing gratitude to mother earth for all she produces for us. It is exploring how to grow my own food. It is finding nature both in my own body and in the world all around me and embracing the notion that I am part of nature, not a separate entity from it.
Nature-connection is important to me on both a micro and macro level. On the micro, personal level, I feel in my bones that the depth of my nature-connection liberates my most authentic self. I am on a journey to better know that version of me. On a macro-level, I think the understanding that “We are nature, we do not have nature,” could be the tonic that begins to heal so many issues prevalent in our society today. As was mentioned in our first call, too many people believe that humans not only can dominate and control nature, but that they should. I believe this mindset is what gave way to the grossly inequitable structures of capitalism that drive consumerism, ravage the natural world, and disadvantage millions of humans worldwide. I believe that the more humans who are empowered to return to the ancestral knowledge that we are nature, not a separate entity from it, the greater chance I believe we have to slowly begin to heal our earth and society.
It is my very socialization within a capitalist society that makes me my own real challenge in maintaining my nature connection. My logical, ego-influenced self still perceives fast-paced production and efficiency as the signs of progress and success. My heart-based self knows I need to shed those societal impositions and “shoulds” and keep digging into my shadows and inner wildness. This is where I most fully experience nature-connection, and life overall! Yet that inner knowing competes with my brain-based self, racing forward, hyper-focused on one sense and on my work. When I get in this zone, I do not maintain the same sense of presence, intention and awareness of the natural world in and around me. I do not make time for the rituals and practices that I know help me strengthen my connection with nature. It is an ebb and flow, and I’m learning to have grace with myself, acknowledge when I’m in that state, and slowly bring myself back into balance with nature and ultimately, with me.
