Our Connection With Nature

We're less disconnected than we tend to think

The other day I got acupuncture and I was feeling particularly sensitive to the insertion of the needles. When I mentioned it to my acupuncturist she said, “I've been seeing this more this week. It's due to the environment having a slight change in the seasons. The flowers are starting to bloom. Pollen is starting to be released. It's gradually getting warmer. Our bodies notice these things and also respond to the change by having an increase in chi.”

“So it's like the body going from a state of needing more rest to feeling the need to get up and get out more?” I responded.

“Yes. We're in the in between,” she said, “So, just like nature right now, our bodies also aren't sure which one we want just yet. That's the TCM perspective, though, of course, science explains the other things like pollen counts.”

This made sense to me and it perfectly describes how I've been feeling recently.

And this got me thinking -- how many of us are living disconnected from these changes, not noticing that our bodies are moving 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 nature?

In a way, our modern world makes it easy to forget.  The way we live our lives tends to be disconnected from the changing of the seasons and the shifts that are happening around us.

We're on our computers, cell phones, TVs. We might not spend much time outside let alone notice that a weather or season change is happening and it’s physically impacting us.

We might feel more fatigued during a cold spurt but rather than recognize that the cold temperatures are causing our fatigue, we become frustrated with ourselves for not being nearly as productive as we were weeks prior.

We might feel the need to sleep a little more due to the shorter days and longer nights, but rather than notice that our body is doing what it feels it needs to do right now, we might automatically view that extra sleep as an issue that needs to be “fixed”.

We might simply take a pill to curb those pesky spring allergies, but never actually notice that there are wildflowers blooming and new leaves emerging around us.

How much do we not notice about the world around us because we’re so focused on what we think our experience should be rather than tuning into what is happening in the present moment?

What are we not recognizing about the world around us because we’re so in our own heads?

And, what are we not noticing about ourselves and what we really truly need in the moment because we are distracted by our beliefs on how things should be?

I guess that’s the irony, isn’t it?  The less we are fully present with ourselves and our own needs, the less we are also present with the world around us.  And that shows up in our relationships with others and our relationship with nature itself.

Though we have a tendency in our modern world to view ourselves as somehow separate and divided, we are all ultimately one.