Meditation in Nature

Pulling back the thick shades of my hotel room, I look down upon the beautiful city as it just begins to wake.  Warm, steamy coffee in a paper cup, the aroma familiar of home, I sit on the bed and look out onto the world around me.  With every intention of checking out a yoga studio on my way here I am no longer feeling the pull.  The universe is tugging me elsewhere.

I have worked, come home, gone straight to the airport, hopped on a flight for hours, a couple of hours in Detroit on a layover, followed by more time on an airplane to arrive in the wee morning hours, commuted to the hotel and here I am.  Yoga sounds blissful however, I just do not feel the pull to walk the streets of the city to a studio. 

Into my GPS I type a beautiful place I only saw in pictures, 30 minute drive, let’s do this.  I arrive and I begin my hike.  Stopping of course to enjoy nature in all its beauty, I begin to feel grounded again.  Upon a mountain, I gaze over to see a steamy flowing water fall in all its glory.

As I make my way down the mountain I am greeted by the river running from the falls above.  It is bliss.  I begin to travel down the river’s edge with only the sound of water running and the falls in the background.  I climb upon a large rock and fall back into all that surrounds me.

If you ever find yourself having a hard time finding your center, feeling anxious but unable to overcome, I encourage you to find this moment right here, surrounded by nature and all its serenity.  You see, I felt this way because from all this travel and hustle and bustle, I was feeling disconnected from the universe.  Finding this place and meditating in nature upon this rock, I felt instantly grounded and major gratitude for the universe.

As I hiked back up, and it was quite the incline, I felt nothing but peace and gratitude.  This is what my yoga practice is all about, finding peace and being present.  Life is so beautiful and amazing!

What is your favorite was to ground down or your favorite place to meditate?