This weekend for two days only, the London Parks & Gardens Trust (in association with the National Trust) are offering a fabulous incentive to promote London’s green spaces – the Open Garden Square’s Weekend.

In honour of this Historical event, run solely by volunteers, today’s post is about reconnecting with Mother Nature.

When we were young, most of us couldn’t get enough of the Great outdoors. Charging outside at any given moment to make perfume from flower concoctions, jump in muddy puddles or follow adventure trails through the woods.
But why do we so quickly lose that desire as we grow older? Our lives become so busy, it’s easy to forget how magical and nurturing nature can be.

Living in London we become blinded by the miles of concrete and rows of skyscrapers that dominate our physical environment. Yet underneath it all lies a peaceful, natural landscape. The foundation of our planet and all that lives and thrives on it. Our core. The provider. Mother Nature is a beautiful, life-giving power that we must endeavour to keep in touch with.

Simple Steps to Reconnect with Nature

1. Actively schedule time in your diary to experience the wonder of the natural world. Leave your phone at home and go to a local park, woods, or take a trip to the countryside.
2. Take your shoes off and walk barefoot on the ground. Really feel the connection with earth – notice how centred and grounded you start to feel.
3. Look around, absorb the shapes and colours, sounds and sites and take a moment to be grateful. Ponder the essence of man, the life Mother Nature has blessed us with and learn to respect her all over again.
4. Lie on your back and get lost in cloud formations. Be curious to the patterns and shapes they form. Become a child again, letting your imagination run wild.
5. Find a quiet spot, practise a simple breathing meditation and be at peace.
6. Explore your senses. Smell the flowers, touch the grass, listen to the wind blow through the leaves of the trees. Become aware of the different dimensions and depths of nature. Expand your mind to the entire planet and consider your place on it. Do your problems become smaller and less significant?
7. Return refreshed and refocused. Curious and grateful.