Nature gazing is a practice that reminds us of our interconnectedness with the natural world. This version invites you to take a close look at a tree, opening your attention from its roots to its branches and then to the sky above. You will need an outdoor space where you can spend a few minutes with a tree of your choosing and see the sky around or above it.
In outline, you might:
- Stand within a couple of metres of the tree, root your feet into the earth, and take a few slow breaths.
- Rest your gaze on the ground, then on the base of the tree, and sense the support the roots provide even though you can’t see them.
- Move your gaze slowly up the trunk, pausing on knots and patterns in the bark. If you like, you can touch the trunk too.
- Continue to the branches, noticing textures, colors, and shapes, and whether there are leaves or needles.
- Let your gaze rest on the open sky and notice what feelings or qualities you sense there.
- Reverse the pattern back down to the earth and your own body, noticing where the tree’s qualities are present in you, too.
The worksheet closes with reflection questions: what the practice was like for you, what likeness you found between yourself and the tree or the sky, and what else in nature you might like to bring this attention to.
