There are many ways we can honor and live in right relation to the natural world. Earth day is of course not the only day we can focus our energy on supporting and loving Mother Nature, but it can give us an extra nudge to perhaps trade in some of our daily actions for ones that are more regenerative and sustainable.
There are many simple and small habitual rituals you can incorporate into your daily routine that will make grounded and lasting changes that make a big difference.
Ways you can cultivate a more reciprocal relationship with Mother Nature:
Greet all nature like you would a dear friend. Nature provides us with so much, the least we can do is offer her our presence.
How to be present with nature?
I know this might seem obvious to many and to some it might not be, so here are some ways to cultivate presence:
When you go into nature, turn off your phone.
Breath deeply and notice.
Feel the ground underneath you.
Start a conversation a simple how are you is just fine, listen, feel, smell, touch, taste (ask permission).
Ask nature to show what a yes or a no feels or looks like.
Be patient and persistent.
Ask whatever you’re connecting if you can offer them something.
Invite a genuine feeling of gratitude. If you feel blocked just think of all the things nature has given you up to this point in your life.
2. Create plan of how you can adopt more eco-friendly practices.
These practices are simple and manageable, yes maybe one day you’ll live a zero-waste lifestyle. In the meantime set yourself up for small goals that you know you can implement into your life.
Here are some ideas:
Refuse single use products.
Bring a reusable bag wherever you go or better yet just leave a few in your car or in another bag you use. Investing in some quality handcrafted baskets is also another wonderful alternative and if you want to get wild you could even learn how to weave your own, but let's not get ahead ourselves..
Invest in a quality reusable water bottle or thermos and bring it with you.
Make an effort to carpool or use public transportation. It’s likely that if there is an event you want to go to, so do other people in your area. You can join a community carpooling chat or create one. It helps your wallet and reduces your carbon footprint!
Start transitioning into making your own DIY biocompatible cleaning products. There are so many amazing recipes out there on how to make your own disinfectant for example. You can continue to reuse the sprayer you have from old cleaning products. In a 1 liter bottle mix 1:1 ratios mix white rice vinegar & rubbing alcohol and essential oils 10-15 drops of essential oils. Some essential oils that are especially good because they are anti-microbial are; tea tree, lavender, oregano, citrus, peppermint. For more cleaning recipes click here
Stop buying herbs in the grocery store and start growing your own herbs. Start off slow. Whatever is your favorite herb, research what kind of environment they need: soil, sun, space, watering and if accessible create that environment, if not choose something that is more low maintenance.
Put your money where your values are. Amazon prime does not have your, the environment’s or future generations' wellbeing in mind, do you? If the answer is yes take responsibility for your actions, drop blame and shame, and shift how, what and why you consume.
Support local, fair trade, sustainable businesses that value and prioritize environmentally friendly practices.
Be compassionate with yourself and the world around you. The ways we've harmed our planet have accelerated at a shocking rate since we shifted our values, from local to mass production, from relying on the Pharmacy instead of the FARMs and gardens we used to have in our backyards. It take didn't thousands of years for the damage we've created to occur. It took a mindset of greed, separation and consumerism. The solution we seek must come from a different mindset than from the one this problem was created. Change your relationship to nature from it being something outside of you, to remembering that you are in fact nature.
Lots of love and green blessings. Now get out there and do something for the beautiful planet we share, we believe in you!
If this article piqued your interest and you are wanting to learn more about
Regenerative Living you're encouraged to find out more about our upcoming
Living Regeneration Immersion May 25th-29th
