Welcome! You are listening to our mindful nature, formerly titled The Mindful Minute. I'm your host, Meryl Arnett, and this podcast explores the deep connection between land and self, through nature-based meditations and meditative experiences that invite us back into the longing, to each other, to our ancestors, to the earth, and to all beings that make up this universe.
If you would like to access these meditation practices as standalone audio files, please subscribe to my newsletter at merylarnett.com. It's free, and you'll receive a new mini meditation each week, along with behind-the-scenes content, and bonus material for each podcast episode. Alright, grab a cup of tea, pop in your headphones, and find a comfy seat. Let's settle in for today's episode.
Welcome, Meryl. Sometimes the simplest practices are the most helpful. When lost, overwhelmed, deeply saddened or scared, I often find myself simply walking outside. I sit down or I lie down, and I stare up at the sky. There's nothing specific to do, nothing you need to feel or try for. It's simply a moment to watch the movement of the sky or the stars.
But to remember that the earth is nothing more than a pale blue dot rotating in a vast galaxy of stars, planets, moons, and more. This practice connects us to something larger than ourselves and this one moment in time. It connects us to timeless time and boundless space. A little perspective is always a good thing. So join me now in walking outside. You can be anywhere, and it can be any time of day or night. If at all possible, I'd love for you to lie down.
You could spread out a blanket, you could grab a sleeping bag or just even a pillow, throw it on the ground, and lay down. If you need to sit, of course that's always welcome. Make this practice work for you and where you are. If you're lying down, lie on your back. Let your legs go out long and your feet flop open. Let your hands rest along your side and turn your palms face up. Let your gaze drift out up above you. And together, let's just take a nice deep inhale in and exhale out of sight.
And maybe you want to do that again. So inhale deeply, gather up everything there is about this moment and with an exhale. Invite yourself to simply land here. Let your eyes stare up at the sky. And you take in whatever it is that you see in this moment. Blue sky, clouds, stars, rain. And you feel your breath flow. And we're going to consciously connect to all of our senses so that we can be first fully present and then connect with the greater cosmos around us.
And so as we lie here and breathe, I invite you just to wiggle your toes and feel the way the heels and the back of the legs rest against the ground. And as you scan up your body, you might just notice each and every point that is touching the earth in this moment. The heels, the back of the calves, the back of the thighs and the glutes. Maybe your mid back and the shoulder blades, the back of the arms, the back of the palms, and the back of your head.
And with each point that you notice touching the earth, see if you can let go there just a little bit more so that you rest heavier and heavier against the ground beneath you. And as you feel the weight of your body connecting to the earth, maybe you also feel the flow of your breath. Every inhale in a little expansion, every exhale out, a little contraction. And I'm still gazing up at the sky, taking in colors, textures, movement.
And I'm just gently allowing yourself to see all that's around you. Gradually we shift our attention to our ears. And we simply take in all of the sounds present in this moment. You don't have to identify them or explain them. We just hear what this moment sounds like. And as you breathe in and out, see if you notice the scent of this moment, the scent of the earth just as it is in this moment. And you feel yourself as one tiny dot on the surface of the earth.
And as you feel, as you sense the earth, perhaps you can expand your understanding, your vision outward, remembering that the earth is just one tiny dot in this galaxy. And that this galaxy is just one tiny dot of innumerable galaxies. And for just another moment or two, we hold the contrast between the solidity, the weight of our body on the earth in this moment. And the vastness, the ever-expanding edges of the universe that were inside.
And perhaps here as you watch the skies above you and you feel the ground beneath you, you connect back to your breath. And every universe, and every exhale you feel the very center of your being, the reality of this moment, inhaling to your most expansive state. And you feel settling into your very center. And one last breath here. And welcome yourself to linger as long as this practice feels good for you. This recording will now end. Thank you.
And we're leaving you a review wherever you get your podcasts. It helps others to find the show. And let's face it, we could all use a few more meditators in our lives. Our mindful nature is recorded on Muscogee land and produced with the support of Brianna Mealson. Deep gratitude is offered to acoustic ecologists, Gordon Hempton and Nick McMahon for the use of their nature field recordings in many of these episodes.
To join my live classes, ask questions, or learn about my teacher trainings, please visit maralarnet.com. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you next week.