Why you should meditate in the open air

Does it really matter where you meditate? For many meditation practitioners, meditating outdoors is a different, more profound experience. And there are some good reasons for this.

Perhaps meditating in a quiet room with no sounds and nothing to distract is the easiest, normal way, especially for beginners. It is hard enough to calm your mind without constant interference from outside. On the other hand, life is a constant input, so if you want the peace that comes from meditation to enter your life beyond your practice, perhaps learning to meditate despite the surrounding sounds and movements is just what you need.

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Meditating in the open air

I remember the banks of the river where I lived years ago. It was a five-minute walk from the house. There is a small level lawn at the top, facing the water, 20 metres down. That's where I would go to sit. There was often a breeze that I could feel on my skin and hear in the surrounding trees. I could also hear the water seeping through some dead trees near the river bank. It smelled of earth and the wetness of the water.

Meditating there was not only pleasant because of the atmosphere, but also different from meditating in the silence of my home. There was an increased sense of experiencing the world without thinking, without analysing too much. Why? Perhaps simply because there was more to experience. There were the sounds, which included birds, and the occasional splash of an animal in the river. There were things to smell and feel, like the very sensation of the grass brushing against my body.

I usually close my eyes when I meditate, because I find it easier to meditate this way. When I finished my meditation by the river, I would open my eyes, of course, but what I saw was always different from what I had appreciated when I started my session. Of course, it was the same, but I was seeing it differently, as if for the first time. While it is difficult to explain, it is easy to recognise if you have had the experience.

It's wonderful to look around as if you're seeing it for the first time. You are seeing without preconception. You might see a small roe deer on the opposite bank of the river, but the thought of "roe deer" would not cross my mind, which means I would not cloud my vision with any ideas about what a roe deer is or should be. The sounds and sensations were also "new". I think this more direct experience of life is a profound demonstration of how much we normally "live" through our thoughts, something far removed from reality.

If you haven't tried it yet, why not get out into nature for your next meditation session? Sit on a hill or in front of a garden, or try standing in front of a lake or pond when you meditate. The view will be wonderful when you open your eyes. There is nothing like meditating outdoors.