Hi Compassionates!
I hope everyone is well. We’ve been enjoying a social media break over the winter, with more space to practise mindfulness. Planet compassion is all about ‘inspiring oneness,’ a deeper unity with self, people and planet. And an important way to experience oneness is to provide ourselves with some space and time to get outside and connect with nature.
What is oneness? I would describe it as a feeling of unity with all of life, a feeling of interconnectedness, where we can experience ourselves as part of a larger whole. Where we are part of a larger conversation, a biosphere of meaningful connections, helping to shape our health and well-being.
Thankfully Spring has now arrived so there is more incentive to get outdoors and experience that. I was pleasantly surprised to see a bat from my window last week, having awoke from hibernation, flying over the tree’s at the rear of the garden, catching insects, reminding me that we are now in the season of Spring, and a PC blog post was overdue!
Whether it is noticing nature from our windows, whilst in our gardens, when taking a walk, or riding our bikes. A growing awareness of our surroundings, can help us disconnect from the chatter of ours minds, and open us up to experiencing more connection. We can experience biophilia, positive affiliations with other life forms, reminding us that we are connected with a myriad of other life forms that share our planet. And this can help us to grow our appreciation of life, a deeper sense of belonging, and greater inner-well-being.
Peace and contentment are our birth right, our natural state of being. That may elude us at times due to the demands of daily life, but it’s always there, and waiting for us. Barriers to present moment awareness might include lack of space and time, the need to multitask, busy routines dependent on technology, stress and repetitive thought patterns, all requiring us to be on automatic pilot. With all that going on, just because we step outside into the fresh air and see a magnificent tree, it doesn’t mean we are automatically going to engage with nature on a deeper level.
Why not start by spending time visiting a place you have never been before or haven’t been in some time? It’s much easier to grow our awareness in this way, as our surroundings are fresh and new, and our senses more keenly alert. I noticed that this week, when I extended my cycle in town. I had the deeper yearning to explore the unknown. And by doing so, I stepped outside of my comfort zone, and became much more mindful. I was seeing everything for the first time with fresh eyes, just like a mini holiday! 🙂
And the point is that we don’t actually need to take a holiday to experience this. It can be something simple such as deciding to ditch the car on a local journey, walking and biking instead, exploring a new park, green space, or street in our communities. Opportunities for expanding awareness are all around us, waiting patiently for us to sharpen our senses. So why not make a daily, or weekly commitment to inspiring oneness?
Enjoy the present moment. Have a great Spring!
Little Miss Compassion xx
planetcompassion.org 