“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.”

– Kahil Gibran

 Awareness is the fully present attention on a particular aspect of existence. Our awareness can be on: 1) our words, thoughts, or actions; 2) those of someone else; or 3) an aspect of our environment. Most often – in spite of where we are or what’s going on – we are in our heads and our awareness is on the non-stop flow of thoughts. In this final week of Stress Awareness Month, we have the opportunity to awaken our awareness to the present moment and observe it in a fully present state.

Of course, after a few moments of present-moment-awareness, we will quickly drift to the thought of the moment and then follow it around a bit. But if we can have the subtle intention to connect to nature the very moment we begin to feel the first wave of stress, then we can effortlessly relax the potential constriction and provide ourselves with some breathing room. There are literally a million ways we can commune with nature – so here are a few easy steps to get the process started:
• look up into the sky – feel its expanse,
• drink in the warmth of the sun,
• gaze at a body of water or a vast expanse,
• garden,
• bathe in your surroundings,
• immerse into a flock of pigeons,
• go for a walk, swim, or run,
• hug or caress a tree,
• pet your companion animal,
• watch the river run,
• smell the earthy sweetness of flowers, trees, herbs, and plants,
• walk barefoot on grass or sand,
• stare into the night sky until you settle on star or the moon,
• listen to the chirping and cawing of birds, and
• watch an ant crawl along a window sill,
• drink a glass of water!

Whenever we drift our attention to nature, as long as we are in observer mode and are mindful of the moment, we recognize the interconnectedness of our essence with every other strand of existence. The flower came from the earth; the earth is filled with rain water, pollen, decomposed leaves, insects, and every other fragment of life; the wind is filled with the cells of every other being and the breath of everyone who has ever lived. With each breath we take, we breathe in centuries of exhales from those we revere and respect – the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Einstein, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra – and anyone else who has lived on earth.

It’s in these moments of awareness of union – one-ness – merging, that our very existence becomes eternal. In that moment, we are timeless – never born…never died. And that is the magnificence of awareness, which we can invoke and awaken whenever we choose. So, this week, let’s commune with the infinite nature of our being and in that process…we will become one. I hope you’ll visit with me on Hay House Radio and in the meantime, I’ll see you in the gap! Peace. -davidji