I have been meditating on nature for 5 minutes each morning for about 5 years now. In this meditation, I go outside (or sometimes stay inside and look out the window when its cold). I set the timer. I go through a series of steps that bring me into fuller Self awareness.

Pause. Anchor. Soften. Breathe. Enter the Heart. Breathe through the Heart, including  the heart of Mother Earth (Pachamama). Maintaining this breathing, I say to myself, “This a uniquely palpable moment.” I say to myself (not the exact words here, as they are a special teaching given to me), “I am experiencing fully who I am from the core of my being– right here, right now, in this precious world.”

I continue until the timer goes off, watching my breath go in and out, through my entire being and through Pachamama. At the same time, I focus on something I see, hear, or sense on my skin (smell may come and go). I maintain the breath awareness at the same time that I focus on and internalize (merge my experience with) something my senses are focusing on.

At the end of the 5 minutes,  I must come up with a word (sometimes a phrase) that accurately describes my experience. For example, one morning I saw a feather floating down from the crabapple tree. I could feel inside myself the sensation of the feather floating down. The phrase was “gently settling.”

Because I have fully imbibed the experience, I can return to it during the day at set times or at times when I “wake up.” I can quickly and with ease return to the experience of being in meditation in the world, meditating with the eyes open.

This morning ritual has deeply influenced my daily spiritual practice. It is a substantial building block upon which my developing Self awareness is built. Because it is done with integrity, it is like a gem to carry in my pocket throughout the day, beckoning me back again and again to Self awareness. Additionally, it is the foundational practice that my artwork is based upon.

This meditation is short and simple, although not always easy. First thing in the morning is the best time to do it, before I  fully engage in everyday activities. At this time, I feel moist and open like the dewy vegetation. The mind is not yet racing and is less of an obstacle.

It is with great gratitude to my spiritual lineage that I continue this fruitful practice. Through the grace of this lineage, I am open to my own inner guidance. Through the grace of this lineage I am able to make self effort toward being fully awake in this world.