It’s summer vacation! We’re swimming. We’re jumping off the dock. We’re playing volleyball. We’re surfing, water skiing, kayaking. It’s so fun, right? This is also a great time to connect with nature in summer.
When we come to the water and into the sun, we are healed by Mother Earth. The water helps you release. Your body moves, you get all the sun, and it’s incredibly healing.
Amongst all that amazing play, it’s almost like there are two different worlds happening…
On one hand, there are all the people going crazy paddle boarding, surf boarding, jet skiing. Everybody is going to the lakes and the mountains to have a blast and have as much fun as they can.
On the other hand, there’s the world of the water and the animals, the plants, the spirit of the rocks. You see the trees, fish, birds. It’s like there are two separate worlds.
Connecting with nature in summer can be as simple as bringing those two worlds together.
Stop and Say Hello
A simple way we can connect with nature in summer is to stop for a moment. I’m all about the fun and love swimming on the lakes, but there’s a point where we can stop and take 10 or 15 minutes and say hello.
Just say hello to that pine tree. Say hello to that cloud. Put your hands on that rock or tree and say hello. Slow your vibe down and try to bring yourself a little bit slower to the resonance of the sand or the birds.
One thing I do when we’re hiking to get someplace is to stop. We stop long enough until the birds come back and then we just watch and listen to the birds.
Take a moment to join those two worlds of your fun summer vacation and say hello to where you are and the earth healing you.
Connect with Water
Another way to connect with nature in summer is to say hello to the water, whether it’s the river, the lake, or the ocean. It can be so simple. You can just do it in your mind with your thoughts or you can make a little song.
Here’s one super simple song that you can do. When you sing this song five or six times, you start to see the matrix of the water. You start to slow down and feel the water a little bit more.
Hello, water. Hello, water. Hello, water.
Hello, hello.
Hello, water. Hello, water. Hello, water.
Hello, hello.
If you can sing that five or six times, it slows down your thought process. Your nervous system relaxes, and you start to feel more resonant with the frequency of the earth.
So, if you are getting out this summer and playing in the water, it’s just so good to stop and say hello. Really say hello to that water and connect.
That’s one simple way you can connect with nature in summer and hook up your summer vacation with where you are as you become more aware of the earth.
I would love to hear from you! How is it that you say hello? Do you have a little song or another practice? I love to hear how people do that because everybody’s different. Please share in the comments below.
Yes, Kami, we need to be present and recognize Nature.
I sing sometimes out loud and some times loud in my heart as I see a flower, butterfly, plant… that just makes me so happy that it is there with me. “You are so beautiful to me, yes …, you are so beautiful to me”
I love to listen to the sounds of the birds in the day!
Beautiful message Kami. I say “hello” simply by listening and looking and saying thank you.
Love your hello water song.
I always say hello to nature by stopping, becoming very quiet and listening: to the leaves rustling on the trees in the wind, to the sound of a lizard rushing through the dry grass, to a bird calling, the gentle sound of a small wave lapping at the lakeshore…
I try to pay attention to as many different sounds at a time as I can, to take in the immensity of life and then just stand in awe, enchanted…
This sounds like a beautiful practice for you
Your song sounds like an aboriginal tune/celebration of water. Sacred maybe
There is a tree in the state park close to my home. She is the Mother tree in the area. I tell her, “Hello, Mother tree. I came to see you today.” There are times when I offer her my troubled heart if she will take it. I had a hawk fly by about that time. In my yard, my gardens, I touch as I walk by and I talk to them. I thank them for all that they offer….from their beauty to the food for my body. If I have to cut them….I warn them and I tell them… Read more »
I am always so grateful for nature; the waters we swim in, the gardens we tend, the light, the night but thank you for the reminder that what we receive from our “other half” is actually healing us. Such precious knowledge.
Such a simple thing to do each day … thank you Kami for reminding me to take stock of my world around me.
I always say, “thank you” on my walks. When I look up at the sky and see the most beautiful image in front of me I whisper, thank you sky. When the sun comes out behind the clouds and I can feel her on my skin, I close my eyes and say, thank you sun. I love that I’m not the only one who does this on a daily basis… thanks for sharing and thank you for asking us to share!
I love this so much. I have found that everywhere I go, if I stop and be still for a few minutes (or even moments if I need to keep going or catch up) and use all my senses to truly be there, I feel more connected and I feel like that little spot knows me a little bit more. I might feel the bark of a tree, lean down and touch and smell wildflowers, see a picture in the clouds, swirl the water quietly around me. My favorite thing to do is to road trip with my loved ones,… Read more »
What a lovely post! I put my hands on trees and thank them for all of the gifts they give; clean air, shade, scented air, a song when the wind blows through their leaves, the magnificent show of color in the spring, summer and fall, the seed pods or berries that they offer to various critters. I always talk to the birds when they honor me with their presence and perhaps a song. In the morning and evening I always turn my attention to the light and colors of the sky, watching the show that Father Sky provides and giving… Read more »
I LOVE this message! I speak to the earth every day and I just say hello, thank you, and I take time to admire everything I see. Oh and I take the time to smile because it gets me present with the beauty. Sometimes I do this out loud and other times I do it quietly. I think the earth likes this, and it fosters care within our hearts for the natural world. I don’t often sing though so thanks for that suggestion. Very sweet! I just signed up for your class and am SO looking forward to learning your… Read more »
So glad this all resonated with you. And yes, the earth makes me smile, no matter how grumpy i am!
This is lovely, Kami. I do something similar every day in my yard. We are fortunate to have 1/2 acre of forested backyard. i feel so grateful for the trees and the birds and the space. I say good morning and hellos to every one I meet. Birds, plants, rocks, trees, sky… I feel the love and I give the love. I am in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. It is very smoky here too as there are wildfires N, E, and W of us. I worry about it all the time. Nature helps calm my fears.
Yes, they all feel your hello!