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“Forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Kahlil Gibran

“Earth's crammed with heaven... But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.”

~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Welcome to Day 4!

You are on a roll… Way to go!

By now you are probably aware that you are generally most comfortable in using only one or two of your five senses. This can be eye-opening, (or nose-opening as we smelled yesterday).

We have millions of specialized touch receptors in our skin and tissues, which send touch signals to our brains. These receptors all respond to touch, pressure, temperature and pain.

Many animals, such as cats have an advantage over us. Their whiskers, which are very different from the fur on their bodies are actually touch receptors embedded deeper than their shorter top-coat fur. These hairs are connected to their nervous and muscular systems acting as sensory nerves and helping it to respond to changes in its surroundings. This helps them “see” with their bodies when it is dark.

Still, we have an amazing gift in the sense of touch, able to distinguish between rough and soft, hard and smooth, hot and cold and a variety of other textures and sensations.

If we are paying attention, we can tell when a cold front is moving in.

With that in mind bring your attention to every physically related touch sensation you are feeling right at this moment. Maybe it’s the pressure of your back and seat in the chair.Maybe it’s a little breeze in the air. Or perhaps you feel a slight tickle or itch on your head, face or body.

Isn’t it crazy how unusual it is to actually pay attention to the physical sensations of our body? This is part of being mindful.

On the other hand, if we were constantly only thinking of all of the physical sensations we were experiencing at every moment throughout the day, we would probably explode from sensory overload.

Find a comfortable place to sit down for a minute and run your hands across the grass or ground or dirt. Try to dig your hands into the earth and pick up a handful of soil like we did yesterday.

Now take off your shoes and just let your bare feet feel the earth and the grass beneath them. Come on, this is supposed to be a challenge, right? I dare you! How would you describe what it feels like?

Grounding to the earth by either sitting or lying down, or standing and walking in your bare feet, where your skin is actually touching the earth is believed to bring a super energy back into the body and spirit. Something special happens when we are literally in touch with Mother Nature.

So today, enjoy just feeling your way around outside, staying present in the moment, and be at peace knowing that as a result of this little active meditation you are once again in touch with yourself and with your world.

Checklist for Day 4

☐ MEDITATION: Day 4 – “Learning to Be In ‘Touch’ With Your World” (You can listen to this active meditation on iTunes or here at Mountain Zen.)

☐ NATURE WALK: Spend 20 minutes outside touching the grass, the earth...feel the dirt. Try to take note of how these physical sensations affect your emotions. Be mindful of them. Take off your shoes and enjoy that sensation of the grass and earth beneath your feet.

☐ JOURNAL: Describe the different sensations you felt today and how they made you feel emotionally. Were you comfortable touching the dirt? Did you enjoy the feeling of your feet on the ground? Did it bring back any good childhood memories you may have forgotten? And especially, what are you grateful for today?

That’s it for today. You are now a well-grounded individual!

Quick reminder, be sure to post your pictures, experiences, observations and questions and share them on our 21-Day Nature Challenge Facebook Community Group page.

See you here tomorrow!