Do you feel like your busy life needs a break ? You are deep down tired and you feel a strong need to stop for a moment ? Well, you may want to try a technic used by the naturalists called “Sit Spot”.
The practice of the Sit Spot invites you to a mindfulness ritual in nature. This is a sitting meditation where all your senses are awake. Your attention is focus on the present moment, observing the little changes around you as well as inside you. You are here, simply here.
1- What is a Sit Spot ?
Originally practiced by the naturalist to observe and understand nature, the Sit Spot can be also combine with mindfulness. So let’s focus on the mindfulness side here.
This is an exercise that requires to sit in one spot in a natural environment for a period of time, observing the surroundings in a mindful way. And the goal is to return to this location as often as possible.
Let’s dig in !
2- What Are The Benefits of Practicing Sit Spot?
Sit spotting is all about spending time in nature. You will get all the benefits of nature combined to mindfulness meditation. It’s a natural stress reliever.
What are the benefits ?
- has cognitive benefits,
- improve the mood, mental health and emotional well-being,
- reduce the feelings of stress and anxiety,
- decrease feelings of social isolation,
- increase nature-connection,
- and more !
3- How to do it ? Follow this 3 simples steps :
1- Find a quiet place and Sit down : Maybe on a bench, a camping chair, on the ground (with outdoor thermal cushion/pad if it’s cold). You need to feel comfortable, no discomfort or pain whatsoever.
2- Take some deep breath : Since reducing the mind chatter can be very hard, start by taking some deep breath
- breath in slowly through your nose, your belly rise, without forcing it, as you fill your lungs. It can be helpful to place one hand on your belly and one on your chest.
- breath out gently through your nose, and fell your belly lower.
- take three more deep breath.
3- Slowly look around : look round you : the little details, the sky, listen to the birds, and the life around you.
Be careful with the self-talk, rumination and perfectionism : “Am I doing it correctly ?”,”I am sure it’s not good”, “I don’t know… “, Be gentle with yourself, focus your attention on the present moment.
4- Be in the present moment, by using your senses :
The SIGHT : Look around you, what do see ?
Maybe it rained the day before and the nature colours are more vibrant and the light is reflecting on the drops of water still present. Maybe you can observe traces of life, like footprints on the ground or small holes in the tree trunks made by the great spotted woodpecker.
Every time you will come back to your spot, you will notice things that you might not have noticed previously or that have changed. Maybe because of the weather, the seasons or the wildlife.
Did you know that the Green from the trees, plants, insect and the Blue from aquatic environments has positive effects on the mood ?
The HEARING : What do you hear ?
Close your eyes… did you hear something ? Can you guess where the sound comes from ? Was it an animal or the wind in the branches ? And if you move your head, does the sounds are different ?
Did you know that the sounds of nature may be recuperative ? A King’s College London’s research has found that after seeing or hearing birds the participant’s mental wellbeing was significantly better.
The Sens of TOUCH and the feeling :
You can the touch the ground you are sitting on with your hand. Experience the feeling of being barefoot in the grass. What about the textures and the shapes around you? Is the weather cold, warm, dry or wet ?
You can also pay attention to the feeling of your clothes on your skin. Do you feel the difference between the protected area and the other exposed to the elements ?
The Sense of SMELL :
Do you like the smell of nature after the rain ? or the particular signature of the pine scent in the forest ? How does the smell affects your emotions and thought ?
Actually, smell is an important sense. In addition to being able to recall memories, smell is a powerful tool that helps focus your attention and allows you to reflect on your current experiences.
And for the Taste :
Taste is well among the 5 senses but I won’t suggest you to pick something around you and eat it ! It can be extremely dangerous. Nevertheless, taste can be associated with mindfulness. Maybe bring some dark chocolate!
4- How long Time ?
Usually for at least 20 minutes. The nature needs some time to get use to your presence and resume her activity so be patient and as silent as possible. But you don’t need to fixe a timer and stressfully look at your watch. Just try to enjoy it, start with a couple of minutes and increase the time slowly, at your pace. It is your “me time”.
Did you know that spending at leat 120 minutes (2h) per week in nature can make a significant change in your well being.
5- How to choose your sit-spot ?
Here some key words :
- Proximity : it needs to be close to your home or work. It can even be your backyard. Because it is supposed to be regularly visited, the distance to get there is quit important,
- Natural environment : the presence of wildlife is essential,
- Safety : even if solitary time is part of the Sit Spot, you must feel and be safe. If you have a bad feeling about the place just choose a different location. You need to take a break from your phone but use silent mode (or other mode available) instead of switch it off.
The practice can be a part of your self-care, helping you to slow down a little, reconnect with yourself and by extension to the nature. Taking time for you is never a waste of time!
>>Tips : The naturalists usually take notes and sketch during the session. In the same way, you can take a notebook with you and describe in few words how you feel, your thought and body sensation along with some drawing of your surrounding to keep track of the changes…
References :
- White, M.; Alcock, I.; Grellier, J.; Wheeler, B.; Hartig, T.; Warber, S.; Bone, A.; Depledge, M.; Fleming, L. Spending at least120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Sci. Rep. 2019, 9, 7730
- Schertz, K.E., & Berman, M.G. (2019). Understanding Nature and Its Cognitive Benefits. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28, 496 – 502.
- Wöstmann, Malte & Schmitt, Lea-Maria & Obleser, Jonas. (2018). Does closing the eyes enhance auditory attention? Eye closure increases attentional alpha-power modulation but not listening performance. 10.1101/455675.
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