I am lucky enough to live a few steps away from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, located on the west side of the Central Park Reservoir, (the pic above looks south toward the mid-town Manhattan skyline); it has become one of my favorite places in all of Manhattan. Not just because of its close proximity to my house, but because, when I stand before it, I am instantly calmed.
We all have ebbs and flows with our inner selves and our connectedness to the universe (sometimes we're really on top of our meditation and spirituality, and other times life gets in the way of our focus… it is a constant struggle). For me, walking by the reservoir, or and occasional jog around it, serves as an instant reminder as to what is important in my life. I want peace. And, the peaceful waters at the reservoir bring that into focus.
Time spent in nature can always be a form of meditation when we put our full attention on what is around us — the earth, trees, flowers, animals, the fresh air, the breeze… So, with that, I want to share what I call a Nature Meditation. It is a walking meditation wherein I keep my Eyes Open and can be done while sitting, standing or walking.
Nature Meditation:
- First find stillness in your mind, no matter what your surroundings. In NY this could be in spite of the sounds of cars, Emergency vehicles, or honking horns. Just let your eyes sort of blur and try to see peripherally, out of the outer edges of both eyes. This will still your mind.
- Then, allow yourself to experience the sights, sounds and smells without labeling them and becoming mentally involved with them. Notice the tendency of the mind to name and evaluate everything — “Oh, look at that beautiful bird. What kind is it? Is it here all winter or where does it go?” When these kinds of thoughts come up, let them go.
- Simply experience the colors, shape, sounds, movement of the bird or whatever else you are experiencing. Let it be an experience without meaning and without reference to any other experience.
- Keep experiencing with an open awareness, as if you’d never experienced anything like it before. As always, when the mind wanders and becomes caught up in thought, simply bring it back to the experience of nature.
- Finally, allow your focus to get smaller and smaller. In yoga, we call this "Finding Your Drishti", the Sanskrit term for “Vision”. your eyes should rest firmly but softly on something unmoving. The focus isn’t just on the outward, but the inward of your mind and body. This exercise is designed to give your mind more peace, clarity and centeredness, while keeping your body balanced and aware.
The exercise helps to find the insight to take in a full picture of something as it really is without obstructions. To me, this is a form of prayer. The prayer of my spirit to the Universal Power running through each of us. I do this while I'm walking. While I'm standing at this bus stop. I even do it out of the corner of my eye sitting here at my computer, writing to you.
Recognizing The Great Power in every small thing is partly how I stay connected to spirit. A sort of constant reminder that I a small factor in a bigger machine that I am constantly fueled by.
Because, let's face it, even in New York, we have to try to find our zen...
