Why You Should Sit in Nature and Do Nothing [video]

It is so important to prioritize taking time to just sit outside and do nothing. This world is so hectic and crazy and constantly pulling at you with all of its demands that we must take into our own power prioritizing some self-care time, and to sit and just be, ideally in the fresh air and the inspiration of nature.

When we sit in nature, we get this opportunity to connect with these cycles and rhythms that are inherently a part of us, as well as all of the elements of nature and how seamlessly they work together. It reminds us of those qualities inside of ourselves, the patience, the trust, the allowing of the flows and the rhythms.

Nature just reminds us to sink in and be supported through all of those rhythms and cycles so naturally and easily. A lot of times when we just keep going, we kind of get in that pace of doing. Even if it's just keeping ourselves busy, if we're not doing anything productive, we're just conditioned into that cadence of constant “doing.”

And so it's nice to be able to take a moment, check in with yourself, and take inspired action, maybe something that's even more productive for you to do, or more precise, or more potent, because you have the energy within to then overflow into that task without kind of burning the candle at both ends, so to speak.

No matter what your dosha or body type, we all need to return to nature. This culture and day and age that we're living in, we have constant notifications and digital things that are blinking and beeping in our face, right?

So that is the Ayurvedic principle of vata that is movement and distraction—this busy, busy energy. Regardless of the dosha, we all need to help ground that vata and come back to our center and reconnect to ourselves. That being said, vata and pitta predominant people will also likely have the hardest time doing this.

Vata has a lot of that creative energy. When it's out of balance, it can be frenetic, anxious energy. Coming into nature helps ground and slow that energy down and keep it into balance.

Pitta can be really ambitious, which is an amazing quality of pitta—but out of balance, we end up getting burned out as pitta types. Pitta might be the most resistant to do nothing. They have to feel like they have to try to do nothing, but once they actually just stop and sit in nature, nature will help cool them down, and calm them down, and be really rejuvenating to pittas so that they can fuel themselves gently to work towards their ambitions without getting burned out.

Think about the cycle of your very own breath, where all day long is like the exhale you're doing. And at night we need to go to sleep, which is like our “in” breath, taking a deep breath in so that we can exhale again.

We are inherently part of these rhythms of nature, inhaling, sleeping, relaxing, rejuvenating, exhaling, doing, being, interacting, engaging, and so on. Sitting in nature just allows you to tune in to that rhythm of rejuvenation, and breathe deep, and just let it all go.

So grab a blanket, go to your favorite nearest park, leave your phone locked up in your car or at home and lay down, look up at the trees, and just watch the leaves blow in the wind.