The Contemplation of Nature
Below is a free Contemplation of Nature meditation zine, one version in BW to print at home on 2 sheets of A4 paper, both side, the other to view digitally.
Most of us spend our days surrounded by screens, walls, notifications, and noise. Yet just outside the door there is another world quietly continuing; clouds drifting, leaves moving, water reflecting the sky.
Ecologist Ajay Rastogi has developed a meditation called the Contemplation of Nature that he has introduced to people around the world. It is a simple meditation practice that begins in the here and now, with what is in front of you – regardless of where you are.
Instead of closing your eyes, this method invites us to rest our attention on something in front of us that brings our attention back to Nature; a tree, a stone, a plant, a leaf, or a stretch of sky. You simply notice what is already present.
For many people, this small shift makes meditation feel natural again. Traditional meditation instructions often ask us to close our eyes, and observe our thoughts. For some people this works well, but for many others the mind does not respond kindly to being forced into darkness; Intrusive thoughts can appear, or unpleasant memories, or even visual patterns that can lead to a feeling of vertigo. The body becomes restless and focusses on physical pain. Attention jumps around and can move towards panic.
This is especially common for people who are living with trauma, grief, neurodivergence, or who are highly sensitive (HSP).
The mind wants something to look at. It is naturally curious about the world around it. So focussing on something “real” can help calm the nervous system. The Contemplation of Nature works with this tendency rather than against it. Instead of withdrawing attention from the world, the practice allows the living world to become the anchor for awareness- and when you can do this for a sustained length of time, the nervous system calms down and other physiological things happen that bring a spaciousness to the mind. When this happens, the mind can move from the never ending loop of reactive thoughts, to deeper and more authentic insights about reality.
Attached are two PDFs to get started. (See links below). One is Black and White and can be printed on 2 sheets of A4 and made into a small folded booklet to carry with you. The other is a colour PDF for your devices.
All you do is sit quietly and observe something from nature; perhaps a tree, water, clouds, or a single leaf. With a soft gaze you notice colours, textures, movement, and light. When the mind wanders, you gently return to what is in front of you, considering how everything in the world is interconnected, and interdependent.
Over time this quiet attention allows the nervous system to settle. Research into the relaxation response suggests that when the mind rests in calm awareness, the body begins to regulate breathing, heart rate, and other physiological processes more effectively.
The practice itself is very simple. It involves three gentle qualities of attention:
Soft gaze
Gentle detachment
Sympathetic attention
Together these create a way of noticing that is calm, open, and kind; both toward the world and toward ourselves.
Perhaps most importantly, the practice reminds us of something easy to forget. We are not separate from nature. We are part of the same living system. Sometimes all it takes is a moment of quiet observation to remember this.
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