When was the last time you spent some intentional time in nature? If you are reading this, there’s a good chance you love spending time in nature already – to enjoy, recharge, release some pressure, reconnect with yourself, do some sports etc. However, there is additional value you can get from it if you approach it as ‘intentional time’.
Intentional time is when you take a minute in the beginning of your walk or chill in nature, close your eyes and set an intention. Why are you there? What would you like to get out of it? Your intention can be as simple as ‘I want to fully enjoy my time here’. It can also be more complex, like ‘I want to receive some insight into my vision for what I am creating’. What intention does is that it reminds your conscious and subconscious mind to keep focused on the reason why you are there, looking in & out for things to support you in your purpose. As a result, you open up to receive much more of that enjoyment or more of those insights that you need.
At the end of your intentional time, it’s also a good idea to take another minute to feel your gratitude for what you’ve received. This allows you to integrate those lessons deeper so you can carry them back to your daily life.
I can give you an example of how this works in my own experience. I was recently having this amazing day with lots of good energy buzzing in me. However, it was super hard for me to sit down and get anything practical done. Eventually I decided to stop trying and head to the nearby rice fields for a walk instead. As soon as I got there, I got an overwhelming feeling of joy and relief, as if my entire being was super thirsty for nature, drinking it in in big gulps. I decided that maybe there was something about that I should look into. I lied down on the grass and tuned into my intention for being there.
I quickly understood that I had to give myself the space to look at my vision. The random day and impulse to walk was an invitation to get out of practical hands-on everyday buzz and do just that. As I got up and began walking, insights started flooding my consciousness. I also got an idea on how to organise them, i.e. make two lists: a list of things that wanted to be released from the way I was being and approaching my work and another one of things that wanted to emerge as I release those. I sat down and I wrote those, seeing my inner power grow with each word.
Then I looked up and saw a rice field with little blades of freshly planted rice. I had a funny feeling they wanted to say something. And what they were saying was: ‘Come the hell out!’. Perfect leadership by example, I thought, as I looked at them embodying their message by basically well, coming out of the ground. At first I felt it was an invitation for me to step into my power, stop hiding, come out. But then I looked around and realised this was not it.
It was as if the entire world came to life. I saw how EVERYTHING was coming out, emerging. As if all of us living beings had purposefully chosen to be here and keep coming out, keep emerging in a slightly newer shape in each moment. My feeling extended to the entire universe emerging, both as its perpetual way of being and as something very unique that is happening right now. It was pure magic, feeling this wonder and amazement of comprehending the power and hugeness of emergence. ‘Coming out’ shifted for me in that moment – from being something to strive for actively, never really getting there, to something to surrender to as a natural way of being. The result was tremendous relief, wonder and joy which I carried back home with me.
So if you are planning for some time in nature soon, take a minute to set an intention and see for yourself the difference this makes for you. If you feel inspired to do so, you can also take 10 minutes to do the simple self-empowerment exercise that I shared in my story. Just take a notepad and split a sheet in two columns: ‘Things that want to be released from my life right now’ and ‘Things that want to emerge in my life right now’. Write some bullets in the first column. When you finish, for each thing you want to release, ask yourself what wants to emerge in its place. See if you can find a bullet point that you can take immediate action on (eg. write that person that you’ve been hesitant to reach out to). And then do it! Use the rest of the items to put into an action plan and integrate in your schedule. You’ll love it and you’ll feel amazing – pinky promise!
Love,
Zori
About The Paradise Vlog
I believe we already are in paradise, regardless of where we are and what’s going on in our lives. I believe life is a journey towards becoming aware of this and enjoying as much of it as we can in the limited amount of time we have here. The ‘The Paradise Vlog’ youtube channel is the space where I share my process of shedding patterns and beliefs that obstruct our view in order to replace them with presence, joy and wonder. It’s also my invitation to you – an invitation to connect and journey together in creative ways, as we help each other see through to the greatest expression of ourselves. I also love creating spaces for growth-oriented people to connect to their soul power and life purpose. I do that in the form of coaching and workshops. Reach out if you feel curious to explore these topics with me.
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