What is nature-based mindfulness?
Nature-based mindfulness approaches is a shift from seeing nature as purely recreational and seeing it as essential to our health and well-being.
We all know that one way to help kids (and adults!) cope with the stress of their lives is an innate gift they can use throughout their entire life—mindfulness, the practice of paying attention to your feelings and how your mind and body experience them in the present moment.
When we share mindfulness with children, they are able to discover their own personal tool to help process feelings, and manage the uncomfortable and challenging moments that are inevitable in life, thus learning to become more resilient.
In a formal mindfulness practice we traditionally use our breath as an anchor for our attention. The practice of coming back to the breath as we notice our mind wandering off is what rewires our brains to be more in the present moment. The scientific term of that rewiring is neuroplasticity.
Nature-based approaches inherently help us cultivate an attitude of mindfulness because the experience of being in nature offers a variety of sensory stimuli to which we can focus our attention and live in the moment. Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits from engaging with nature, both psychologically and physiologically.
Tuning in to the sights and sounds of nature’s steady beat draws a child’s attention to the present moment and helps to reduce stress and worry by removing them from other external stressors of the world. In nature, you are, in a sense (pun intended), forced into the present moment.
That’s the essence of nature-based mindfulness—coming to our senses (literally and figuratively) by using nature as a guide to allow the practice of mindfulness to naturally occur. When children interact with nature:
It invites exploration through the complexity of possibility
It serves as a medium from which children can (re)construct and make meaning around life circumstances
They create and act out stories that allow them to confront their fears and build confidence, like strategizing how to climb a tree or maneuver a log bridge over a creek
That’s why studies show that kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors. Not to mention, more confident and resilient.
Nature + mindfulness. That’s what it means to live an Adventureful life.