Mindfulness in Nature

Thistle in Midlothian get mindful in nature.

An increasing body of research shows that spending time in nature can be greatly beneficial to our physical and mental wellbeing. With this in mind, our Midlothian Wellbeing Team has developed a five-week Mindfulness in Nature course in collaboration with the Midlothian Health & Social Care Partnership Strategic Green Health prescribing development. The course aims to encourage people to spend more time in nature to improve their wellbeing.

In this Q&A Jane, who leads the Mindfulness in Nature course, talks more about what it is and how to get involved.

What does Mindfulness in Nature involve?

The course invites you to spend time in nature with others. To slow down and notice. To tune into our different senses and to use these to anchor the mind gently in the present moment – rather than dwelling on thoughts about events in the past or jumping into the future, worrying about things that may never happen. Can we begin to let our thoughts just to be there without needing to get involved with them – and use nature to support us? Can we allow our minds to be vast like the sky, and our thoughts and emotions like weather patterns passing through? As we notice how nature is always changing, we begin to see that even our difficult mind states change too.

It also includes mindful walking, an awareness of sounds, what we see, touch and smell and interconnectedness (noticing the similarities between what happens in nature to what happens within ourselves). We end each session with a gratitude practice which we encourage people to continue at home.  A course manual is sent out in advance and participants are encouraged to read the relevant section each week and have a go at the suggested short home practice on the days following each session.

Two peers are also involved in the delivery of the course. Andrew, one of our peers said, “'I realised how important it was for me in my own recovery to be engaging with others with another perspective. And of course, to share insights and have them resonate with others is always a bit mind blowing. I’m grateful to be in a position that I can encourage others to explore and listen gently to how the body and mind wants to communicate.”

What are the aims of the course?

Before the course, each participant will be supported to think through what their individual hopes are in coming on the course.  The overall aims of the course are: to develop an ability to explore the world through our senses, allowing the mind to settle; to slow down and fully appreciate the richness of each moment; to develop a gentler and kinder way of being with ourselves and our environment and an awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things; and to appreciate the benefits of spending time in nature.

How long has it been running?

We ran a trial course from August to September last year. We’ve just run our second course which 13 people took part in and we’re now planning for the next – watch this space!

What sort of feedback have you received?

At the end of the trial last September, we evaluated it to see if it had an impact on people’s wellbeing and we were very pleased with the results. They showed an overall improvement in wellbeing as a result of attending the course, with 7 out of 8 people saying they enjoyed their time in nature and four people even encouraging others to spend more time in nature! Everyone who took part said that they felt better able to cope with setbacks, and 7 out of 8 people said they felt calmer and more active.

I thought it’d be helpful to share some feedback from people we support too…

“I really enjoyed the course – being with other people made a difference. Observing the changes in nature was really helpful – I appreciated that even if something changes it can still be beautiful.”

“That old cliché of stopping and smelling the flowers – remembering how beautiful things can be – even when things are difficult. Getting the perspective. Taking the breath of fresh air, feeling the sunshine or rain, being in that moment and not letting all these things I can’t deal with control my life.”

If someone wants to take part in the course, how can they do that?

The course is open to anyone referred to Midlothian Wellbeing Service by their GP or other health practitioner, who has identified a hope that fits with the purpose of the course.