Developing a Living Relationship with Nature
Written by Ashley McConnell, local yoga instructor & adventure guide with Balanced Rock.
Earth is Our Original Home: A Story
I remember the first time I felt this in an embodied way. I was in my mid-20’s and a student at an outdoor school near Mount Shasta, California. Earlier in the day we built a temporary lean-to style shelter from fallen tree branches, and brought in armloads of pine needles to soften and insulate from the cool earthen floor. The structure was simple and small with space for only one person to sleep ~ but it was sturdy.
The instructor asked if anyone wanted to try it out that night, and I volunteered. I was nervous. The structure was away from the center of activity, closer to the wild than to the camp. And nights were a thick blanket of darkness, and filled with the skittery sounds of nocturnal creatures in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
But amid the nerves, I felt a pulse of excitement, and was compelled to raise my hand and try it anyway.
“Simply paying attention to the natural world around us opens doors to a deeper connection with the living world.”
In the fading dusk light, and with a fluttering heart, I dragged my sleeping bag out to my nature home for the night. As I settled in and the light faded away, I fully expected to not sleep at all. Rather, I planned to lay awake defending myself against nature until the sun came up and I could retreat back to the safety of the camp center.
Immediately upon entering the shelter, I was pleasantly surprised by the comfiness of the pine needle floor. It was practically plush. And the walls were solid, with no large gaps. Though I had expected to feel exposed and vulnerable, I couldn’t deny that the space felt safe and protected. Even welcoming.
I realized that I was relieved to be away from the bustle of camp. After a week, I wanted a brief refuge from the high energy camp life. As I lay there, I thought: what if I relaxed? What if I allowed the earth to support me? Trusted it to protect me? What if I allowed myself to receive these gifts? And before I knew it, I was deeply asleep, cradled by the natural materials gathered from the Earth. My body heavy, my mind at rest, my spirit undisturbed.
When I awoke the next morning, I felt a sense of awe. Because until that moment, I didn’t know.
I didn’t know I could feel so supported and at home with the Earth. I didn’t know that the Earth could nurture me with her pine needles, protect me with her fallen branches, and lull me to sleep with a gentle chorus of nighttime sounds. I didn’t know, but that night, I remembered.
This was only one night, but I have never forgotten the sense of belonging I felt. I had crossed a threshold, and in an embodied way, I now knew what it felt like to experience the natural world as “home”. Nature was no longer static like a photograph, something I gazed upon and admired at a distance. Rather, it was now textured, alive and full of the unexpected. It was a relationship I could develop and deepen over time. A reciprocal relationship full of learning and discovery, in which sometimes I spoke, and sometimes I listened.
“Nature was no longer static like a photograph, something I gazed upon and admired at a distance. Rather, it was now textured, alive and full of the unexpected. It was a relationship I could develop and deepen over time. A reciprocal relationship full of learning and discovery, in which sometimes I spoke, and sometimes I listened.”
Keeping the Connection Alive
Since that night, I’ve made it a practice to feed the connection between me and the natural world, and it has become such a grounding and supportive force in my life. I can honestly tell you that I have never spent another night alone in a lean-to earth shelter. Fortunately, maintaining a meaningful relationship with the natural world does not require this!
Simply paying attention to the natural world around us opens doors to a deeper connection with the living world. For example, some days I notice blossoms about to burst open. This can be inspiration to take action or perhaps to bring more beauty into my life.
Or, I’ll observe the flow of water in a stream, river or even off the windshield of my car. This can remind me to be flexible and flow with life; to “let go” of something specific or more generally. Some days, observing the flow of water may simply remind me to drink more water!
There are days when I need a challenge, and days when I need rest ~ and nature can support it all so that we’re never truly alone in the outdoors.
The natural world offers so many lessons. Even the teachings of one tree can continue to change and develop over time. As we all do.
“I didn’t know I could feel so supported and at home with the Earth. I didn’t know that the Earth could nurture me with her pine needles, protect me with her fallen branches, and lull me to sleep with a gentle chorus of nighttime sounds. I didn’t know, but that night, I remembered.”
Essential Practices for Earth Connection
Below are some tips that you can use as a starting point when developing, deepening and maintaining a living relationship with the natural world:
⟡ Intuition & Authentic Expression
When deciding how to connect to the natural world, use your intuition. The natural world is our home, and just like we must use care when cooking on the stove or cutting vegetables, we must also use care when interacting with the natural world. If something doesn’t feel safe, trust that. If you feel resistance ~ like you’re forcing yourself to do something you don’t really want to do ~ let yourself off the hook! Aim for authentic connection with the natural world. For example, pretending you love long hikes with lots of elevation gain when you really don’t isn’t authentically bringing yourself into the earth relationship. There are so many ways to connect with the natural world, and no one way is better than any other. Connect to your heart space and allow yourself to be drawn to a sincere natural connection point.
⟡ Soften into a Receptive Presence
Practice receptivity by listening with your ears and your heart to the messages of the mountains, meadows and moss. To the swooping birds in the sky, the humming bees and chattering squirrels. We often operate within a particular sphere of awareness. Can you expand the sphere of your awareness? Can you expand it so that it is larger than your sphere of impact? Favor gentleness and softening over reaching and grasping.
⟡ Patience
Time in the natural world does not move at the pace of a ticking clock. Nature is not on a minute-by-minute, or hour-by-hour schedule. It will take time to deepen into a reciprocal connection with the natural world. This doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. Just as bread can’t be rushed to rise, nor can flowers be hurried into blossoming ~ the tendrils of connection take time to form.
⟡ Observe Subtlety
Frequent interactions with fast-paced media can train us to expect shock value and instant gratification ~ but these are not the ways of the earth. She will not shout for your attention the way the algorithm will. Meditation teacher and author Tara Brach writes, “Attention is the most basic form of love. By paying attention we let ourselves be touched by life, and our hearts naturally become more open and engaged.” I encourage you to give the earth with the precious gift of your attention. Consider the details and patterns ~ and even the layers of detail and patterns beneath that.
⟡ Reverence
In his book “Beauty: The Invisible Embrace”, John O’Donohue writes, “What you encounter, recognize, or discover depends to a large degree on the quality of your approach… When we approach with reverence, great things decide to approach us.” Choosing to approach the earth with respect and humility will fundamentally shift your encounter, and likely open up doors to connections that you hadn’t been aware of previously.
⟡ Being Open to the Unexpected
As a part of nature herself, you will always belong in the natural world. So, try to relax and open yourself up to the wonder of the world around you. Oftentimes, our awareness is hemmed in by our preconceived expectations. Draw your attention from any lingering in the past, and call your attention from any planning about the future, so that you land here in the present moment. Open to possibility of now.
Some Ideas to Get You Started…
⟡ Begin noticing the variety of the natural world.
⟡ Observe places of transition where one ecosystem shifts into another.
⟡ Greet the same place over and over again. Notice what is the same, and what is not.
⟡ Stand still and as a breeze rises, allow it to affect you. Gently sway with the wind.
⟡ Ask a question, whether aloud, in your mind’s eye, or from your heart. Wait for a response.
⟡ Sit or lie down outside, inviting in the sensation of resting on the earth ~ of allowing the earth to support you.
⟡ Interact with and tend to the earth, such as touching tree bark, smelling flowers, pausing to listen to bird calls or picking up trash.
⟡ Plan a walk or hike in a place that brings you closer to nature. It doesn’t need to be high mileage or far away (though of course, we’d love to see you up here in Yosemite, should inspiration strike!).
What are your experiences with Earth Connection? How do you feed your relationship to the natural world? We’d love to hear!
Ashley McConnell is a yoga instructor and adventure guide with Balanced Rock. She finds joy in the interconnection between humans, the natural world and the Great Mystery that weaves through all.
Ashley teaches grounded and accessible yoga practices that honor the yogic tradition and reflect the beauty and wisdom of the natural world. She creates containers of welcome, spaciousness and slowing down ~ and often with a healthy spark of playfulness.
Ashley is also a self-love guide and works one-on-one with clients seeking to engage more authentically with the world. She loves facilitating groups to inspire connection to self, community and the natural world. She lives in the mountain town of Mariposa, just outside Yosemite National Park.
Learn more about Ashley and her upcoming offerings on her website alovingrhythm.com or follow along via Instagram @alovingrhythm
All photos provided by Ashley McConnell