Embracing mindfulness and the benefits of an escape into nature
Health and wellbeing are major topics today. Many people ask how they can improve their wellbeing and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Others want tips to keep their minds healthy and their emotions positive.
Experts say mindfulness can make a meaningful difference to wellbeing. It supports calm, clarity and optimism, which many people crave. Mindfulness has circulated for years in psychology, health and meditation fields, and now more people are starting to explore it.
Adelaide-based mindfulness expert, teacher and psychologist Liana Taylor explains that anyone can practice mindfulness to positively improve their mental state. “There is something really nice about doing something practical and personal for yourself at this time in the world,” she says.
Liana is the Director of The Mindfulness Centre in Hyde Park, South Australia, and an international mindfulness teacher with The Australian Institute of Applied Mindfulness. In essence, she is a mindfulness specialist.
We asked Liana what mindfulness really means, how it can help, and why escaping into nature in a self-contained cabin can support the experience.
“Mindfulness is fundamentally about awareness,” she says. “Both of what is around you and what is inside of you.” Many people use mindfulness to relax, unwind and quieten the chatter of the mind. For over-thinkers and worriers, mindfulness can offer comfort.
“It is a practice that ensures you pay attention to the present moment. It brings you back into the sensory world and back to your emotions, instantly calming you,” she explains.
While calm and clarity are commonly linked to mindfulness, many do not realise the practice also increases self-awareness and optimism. “One ne is about becoming calm. Two is about gaining clarity and insight into our thoughts. Three is about how to develop greater insight into and reconnect with our core values and purpose, and how to feel optimistic and inspired about your life.”
How Nature Supports Mindfulness and Calm
Planning getaways, whether solo or with loved ones, can help you look forward in an optimistic way. It also creates space for calm and mindfulness. “When you look at holidays, experiencing beautiful things and having time to relax really calms your mind,” Liana says. “You get to really feel the beauty of what is around you.” Being present and appreciating the ‘now’ is a core part of mindfulness.
Liana says mindfulness is valuable in everyday life, but stepping away from a normal routine can give the mind a needed reset. “When you go away on holidays, you do get some perspective and gain some clarity. Particularly when you are in a quiet space, it can give you the opportunity to drop quite deeply into meditation,” she explains. “Science shows us that when people do that, they go into a deeper space of consciousness than sleep, so it is incredibly physically and emotionally rejuvenating.”
Research also shows that nature supports mindfulness. Reconnecting with the outdoors and stepping away from city noise can improve our mental state. “There is a whole lot of neuroscience that shows us that the body actually calms down when it is around natural sounds and the green of nature. Physiologically, it is a wired response.”
So why not swap your morning coffee commute for a quiet sit by the fire, a deck chair and a book, or a morning in bed with birdsong and wind through the trees? Many free guided meditations are available online to walk you through breathing, listening and being in the present moment. The Australian Institute of Applied Mindfulness offers a range of free online meditations on their website.
CABN offers tiny off-grid cabins across South Australia and Victoria that allow you to disconnect from routine and reconnect with nature. A quiet escape may be exactly what your mind needs. You can also help someone who needs a break by gifting a ‘choose your own CABN adventure’ gift voucher.
Credit: Thank you to Liana Taylor for contributing to this blog on behalf of the CABN community.
