On the sunny early evening of April 22nd, Earth Day, a group of Dunmore neighbors and NeighborSpace staff took an hour out of their day to spend time in and notice nature. The group took a walk through Levickas Woods and were led by Phillip McKnight, a Certified Mindfulness Teacher with the Center for Nature-Informed Therapy, through various mindfulness exercises, all involving noticing and appreciating all that we were fortunate to have around us. We listened for the burbling stream, the bird calls, any breeze making its way through the treetops. We stopped and viewed the forest from the canopy down, noticing the different layers and textures and colors and growth patterns. We were offered space to individualize the beings around us, to interact with non-human entities from a place of respect and attention, instead of blowing past what we might tend to think of as “the ordinary”. And finally we were invited to take a few moments of seated stillness, focusing on the movement and activity going on all around and outside of us, the forest existing beyond our human priorities and concerns, for itself.

I personally took great benefit from this practice. And from the final thoughts of the group, I was not the only one. There is significant evidence for the benefits of spending time in nature and using mindfulness techniques to focus on the living world outside of our own heads. When asked why the group members chose to attend this mindfulness walk, everyone expressed some form of wanting to slow down, or de-stress, or experience nature in a new way. We can get so wrapped up in the complexities of our lives and schedules that it becomes difficult to really notice anything going on around us. To make time and space to notice the natural world, in all of its minute details and large shifts, is to expand our perspective beyond ourselves and to reorient us to our place within the world we all share. Attention to the natural world then feeds into caring for the natural world, wanting to protect and preserve it. This reciprocity improves the lives and health of the entire natural ecosystem, of which we are a part.

The Center for Nature-Informed Therapy is, according to their website, “a community of mental health professionals including social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, and mindfulness practitioners who have dedicated their professional lives to the advancement of nature informed mental health work”, who envision “a future where a reciprocal relationship with nature will restore the mental health of all people and create deeper connection to self, others and our spirituality.” Thank you to CNIT for partnering with us on this event, and specifically to Phillip McKnight for leading our group. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future!