By: Beth Glosten, WNPF Board Member, Retired Medical Doctor, and Instructor at Mindfulness Northwest
I read an article in the Seattle Times recently quoting some remarkable, and hilarious, negative reviews of some of our national parks. For example, there was a complaint about the sulfur smell at Yellowstone (“they should provide air fresheners”); one disparaged the number of rocks at Joshua Tree; another complained “the lizards aren’t friendly.”
The comments are amusing to me, and of course, I don’t know if they are true statements or comments meant to stoke a reaction, but they do highlight how us humans often have preconceived ideas of what we want or what is good – and how we are disappointed when reality differs from what we expect.
Does this happen to you when you are out on a hike? Was there a sense of disappointment after your last journey? Did you find yourself wishing you’d gone someplace else, or that the weather had been better? How would you describe your last hike or walk? Do your metrics only include location, distance, elevation gain, weather? All good.
But were all your senses engaged, or were you lost in thought about work and life’s stresses? Was your goal to “get exercise” (which is great, of course) or could you immerse yourself in the total experience with an open mind? When asked why we go outside, most of us would include a mention of the beauty, majesty, and wonder of being in the woods, desert, ocean beach, or backyard garden. However, this wonder is only available if we pay attention with a mindset of openness. This is being mindful. And being mindful brings forth the wisdom of the natural world and allows it to calm our restless minds.
Mindfulness is a word that has entered our popular dialog in the last several decades. What is it? Mindfulness is purposefully paying attention to our present moment experience – that we are aware of what is happening right now, even if we don’t like it.
It is a conscious choice to be in the present, as our amazing human brains can imagine into the future or recall the past. In fact, research shows that we are only “in the present moment” about half the time. Interestingly, it turns out that we are happier when we are paying attention to the present, even if what we are doing isn’t much fun.
Mindfulness is a skill, usually practiced and developed through meditation practice. But it is not necessary to log in hours sitting still to be mindful. Mindfulness is always available, always accessible. We can always make the choice to be in the present moment and see life clearly.
So, why do this? It makes us happier and less stressed. It supports a thoughtful, problem-solving mind as opposed to one that is reactive, and not curious. In the wilderness, it opens us up to the myriad of experiences available, from plants and trees to fungi and squirrels, and to the complex ecology of all these systems working together. It opens us up to feel compassion for the world around us, and ourselves.
Imagine you are on a challenging walk or hike. It is a warm day. You are struggling. Your heart is pounding, your legs aching. Where are your thoughts? Perhaps you say to yourself, “I wish I weren’t here;” “I wish it weren’t so hot;” “How much further do I have to go?” These phrases describe resisting your experience.
Instead, notice the details of your experience, whatever they are. Perhaps you now think: “Phew! This is hard;” “My body is really working;” “Let me stop and catch my breath and take a drink of water.” Here you are turning towards the experience, acknowledging the challenge, and taking care of yourself. An open mind brings richness and fullness to your experience, whatever it is.
It doesn’t matter where you hike or enjoy the wilderness. In fact, mindfulness of the out-of-doors is available just outside your window. See the tree – really see the tree. Notice the amazing details in its bark – it might tell you the story of its life. Notice the bugs crawling in its crevices, the moss on one side. See these things as if you’ve never seen them before. Even the weeds that grow in the cracks of the sidewalk can fill one with amazement when we take the time to notice – how do they survive with so little soil?
How to do this? Here is an exercise. The next time you are out on a walk in your neighborhood, sitting in your backyard, or are on a hike, take a few moments to truly experience your environment. Pause.
Open all your senses: what do you hear? What do you see? What do you smell? What do you feel, in your body, on your skin, or under your feet? Walk slowly for a few steps and feel the details of your body walking. It is easy to take this body for granted, but when we pay attention, we can’t help but marvel at what it can do!
Then notice your emotions – how are you feeling? Try not to have some preconceived idea of how you should feel, just experience what is real for you now. You might also notice the thoughts that arise. What is the nature of these thoughts? Thoughts can be very powerful in pulling us away from the here and now. If you find your thoughts spiraling down a rabbit hole of worry about yesterday’s events, take a breath, and consciously bring your attention back to the here and now. Over and over. Relish this present moment.
Awareness fosters calm and receptivity to the natural world and offers intimacy with the environment. We can see the wilderness as an everchanging world of life — and we are part of this life; we are not separate.
Adding mindfulness to my 10-essentials reminds me to notice the world around me, deeply; I feel small, and wonderfully insignificant among the ancient cliffs, rushing rivers, and towering cedars. Of course, I get lost in thought. But the awesome mountain vista, the smell of a mossy creek bed, or the call of a Pacific wren pulls my attention back to right here, right now, and I fall in love, again, with being outside. What a gift!
Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. We raise private support to preserve and protect Washington’s national parks by funding scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep these parks strong and vital now and forever, for everyone.
Cover photo is of Beth at Olympic National Park, taken by Kacee Saturay, WNPF staff member. All blog photos are by Beth Glosten.