Meditating Outdoors

Therapy for the Soul - Meditating Outside
April 29, 2008
By Terri MacKinnon

Does it really matter where you meditate? I believe that meditating outdoors can offer a new alternative and change to your life. The therapeutic benefits are hidden and waiting to be explored. I am one of those people that know personally how being outside meditating makes for not just a different type of meditation experience but in some ways even a more profound one.
There are many good reasons for this.
Many of us have experienced meditating in a quiet room that is free from any and all distractions, no sounds, dim lights and the thought that we are one against the world and our environment trying deeply to engage ourselves with deeper inner thoughts.
However, it is sometimes difficult to quiet our minds with all of the constant input from our surroundings. Life is constantly challenging us with environmental noises and disruptions. So if we want to find the peacefulness that comes from meditation maybe we need to allow and find ways to learn how to meditate despite all of the surrounding sounds and distractions that exist.

Meditating in the Great Outdoors

There’s a quiet spot on our cottage property away from the city that I love to go to and sit down and reflect my week’s events. It overlooks the beautiful lake that we are fortunate enough to be able to borrow for the weekends. We had a small gazebo built just at the point of the property that overlooked all of the beauty. I so look forward to getting out of the city and getting back to my place and my peace. As I sit back and enjoy the beautiful view, I am able to reflect and reconcile my life and what has transpired over the week. This gives me the opportunity to rethink, review and rejuvenate myself.
While sitting there I am Aware. All of my senses are somewhat enlightened and responding to all that is around me. Feeling the breezes sweep by me, hearing the birds singing their songs and smelling the incredible scents of nature only strengthens the experience.
This was a new form of spirit, enlightenment and freedom. Meditating outdoors was a whole new experience of finding what I was looking for. There was a great sense of experiencing the world through these new surroundings.
When I first started looking at new ways of meditating, I realized that we are able to find peace even if the environment was not silent. I also realized how the strength of meditating outdoors seemed greater then that spent by myself in a dark room. There was a greater sense of pleasure and peace that was obtained in the new environment. The sounds, smells and feel created a stronger sense of belonging.
I had spent many years meditating with my eyes closed in a dark quiet peaceful room. However, my new form of mediating included sitting quietly with my eyes closed for the first ten minutes and then opening my eyes and looking up at the clouds, carefully watching how the leaves were blowing in the wind, listening to the birds chirping, smelling the experience and realizing what is quietly taking place around us while we live our lives. How much more amazing and larger the world really is, unlike the space that we only occupy. The experience allows us to witness what is passing us by.

It’s wonderful to look around as if you are seeing the outdoors for the first time in your life. No matter how many times I take my place in the outdoors to meditate, I am forever reminded that we are far smaller and less significant then what God has created.
If you haven’t already tried it, why not get outside for your next meditation? It can be found as easily as opening your front door and taking a walk to the local park. Sit and listen to the sounds that you haven’t heard since you were a child. Take a drive down to your local River, Pond or Lake and spend some time reflecting. Close your eyes and meditated in Gods room. Listen, smell and then open your eyes and enjoy. The view will be incredible when you open your eyes. There is nothing quite like meditating outdoors.

Terri Mackinnon has spent the past ten years meditating and enjoying the great outdoors. Her passion for spending time fishing and enjoying the outdoors can be found at http://www.womenfishing.com and http://www.theoutdoorsgirl.com

Catch me! Kiss Me! Let me Go!

Catch and Release – March 2008

by Terri Mackinnon

 Before you decide to go out fishing there are a couple things that you should be discussing. Many fish are left on shorelines, by garbage cans or just simply thrown away after a day on the water fishing.

 I’m sure that their intentions prior to bringing them back to shore was good however, it is far too common and we all need to make a conscious effort to not allow it to happen.

I believe we can ask a couple questions that may prevent some of the waste.

1.  Are you or your family going to eat your catch? Are you able to clean your fish?

2.  Have you purchased your licenses?

3.  Do you know your regulations on the water? What the daily limits and sizes of fish and species that you are allowed to remove legally?

4.  Are you able to identify your fish?  I’ve seen many fish brought to shore because they had know idea what kind of fish they had.

There really is no other reason not to practice Catch and Release outside of consumption.

There taxidermists that can reproduce that trophy fish that you caught.  Take a photo, quickly take some measurements and let it go.  The taxidermist can now make you a perfect replica for your wall. Any you can now go back next year to try and catch it again.

Some things you should remember.

·        Keep the fish out of water for minimal time

·        Try and avoid touching the fish too much to remove its protective slime coating

·        Try to keep the fish calm.  The least amount of jumping around in the boat or hitting up against the shoreline will allow for it to be released with greater success.

·        Never tear out hooks from your fish, if they are embedded and not easily removed cut your line.  Hooks will rust out or dissolve without the fish being harmed.

·        Use the “Don’t keep a fish out of water longer than you can hold your breath theory.”  It allows you time to actually hold up a fish, take a picture and then release it back into the water.  Try it!

·        Some fish have sharp teeth like walleye or pike.  These fish are best being held across the back of the head, with fingers and thumb holding the gill plates closed.  Watch for the gills they have sharp edges.  Some fish like bass really have small teeth that don’t hurt so you can actually hold its lower lip between your thumb and index finger. This is my favorite technique and it took me the longest to want to try.  It feels like sand paper on its tongue, once you do it you will know the power it give you to hold up your fish like the professionals.  Lip Your Fish!

Then Give him a little kiss and let him go!

 

Laughing at yourself

I learned a long time ago to not take myself seriously.  Too many times I locked my keys in the car, dropped my ice cream out of its cone onto my foot and had a problem with tripping over my own two feet.I use to think that I was somewhat of a klutz, however, mom use to say we all have those awkward times and I would out grow it. Being now later in my life, I wonder when it actually happens. I think that I always just looked at the experiences of silly slip ups as an opportunity to laugh at myself.  There have been many funny times that I have had in my lifetime. I am sure that one day in a senior citizen home I will be sitting in the corner laughing my ass off. When out fishing one day, I had one such experience.  My husband is a wonderful man, kind generous and patient.  He has had to repair or take many embedded hooks out of items around the boat or in the back of his head, and yet he still wants me back in the boat with him.It never really seemed to scare him as he said “he was up for it” or so I would joke.  I replaced his fishing buddy shortly after we met and he use to tell me stories about how clumsy his bud was and how he was glad that he didn’t have to worry about hooks in the head.  I remember thinking, oh I pray I don’t do something stupid and change his mind.We bring a camera out with us when were fishing since I believe strongly in “Catch and Release” of your fish.  I take a lot of photo’s since I catch a lot but its better then knowing they would all die.  We also started video taping some of the techniques and this was one of the time that we were able to catch some of our fun.

I believe that fishing helps reduce daily stresses, and if it doesn’t hopefully this video will at least make you laugh today. 

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