Year after year, summer somewhat baffles us with its innately paradoxical temperament – the natural world is bursting forth into a busy season of growth and expansion, while we might experience a subtle shift in our schedules offering some more freedom and leisure time. A wonderful opportunity to explore something new that is simple and yet has the potential to enrich our lives with newfound joy and meaning beyond the summer season.
Sit Spot is the core practice of forest therapy aka forest bathing. There is nothing fancy or complicated about it, as it literally means sitting in stillness in a spot outdoors and simply allowing yourself to be present. The key is to sit for about 20 minutes without any distractions like your phone, a book, a journal, or a conversation with a fellow human, This allows for true nature connection to slowly unfold and deepen over time. This is distinctly different from nature contact, which we experience when we go for a walk, maybe even plugged into a podcast or phone call. The sit spot practice draws you further, awakens your senses, and allows to observe yourself as part of and in relationship with the natural world.
We don’t need to be in a forest or a lovely remote location, which is not available to us in Del Ray anyway. Our porches, balconies, backyards, a bench along the Greenway, the beautiful native plant garden at Duncan Library are all perfectly suited to start a sit spot practice. In fact, the more convenient the location is for you to access, the more often you are likely to visit. As you become more familiar with the practice, you might want to scout out an additional spot that offers a bit more seclusion, like Monticello Park off Beverly Drive. This way you have your convenient spot for easy daily access and your remote spot for a weekly or monthly visit.
Here are some practical guidelines and tips for a sit spot practice:
- Choose a convenient spot that is easy to access.
- Try sitting daily or every other day.
- If you are new to any form of sitting practice, start with 5 minutes on day one and incrementally increase your sit time each day until you reach 20 minutes. Either way, don’t get too hung up on the time, just do what works for you.
- Explore what helps you sit – maybe you need some movement and/or a couple of deep breaths before you begin.
- Turn your phone on silent and leave it in a bag or pocket.
- Keep your eyes open and engage your senses – notice what you hear and smell.
- If you like, bring a book and/or journal to read/write in your sit spot after your dedicated stillness practice. This can be a lovely way to couple your sit spot time with some daily reading time or start the practice of a nature journal.
- Be playful and explore different ways of approaching this practice. Try going with a friend or your family. See what works best for you.
Lastly, meaningful and evolving nature connection is steeped in kinship and reciprocity. Before you leave your sit spot, take a moment to thank the land and more-than-human beings whose company you just experienced. This is a simple yet potent gesture, which will be received with gratitude and elevates individual into communal well-being.
If you’d like to explore a guided forest bathing experience, check out my offerings for private sessions customized to your group at curaviriditas.com/forest-bathing
Clinical Herbalist Kay Sidahmed (PhD, MS) is founder and owner of Cura Viriditas, a clinical herbal practice in service of connecting plants and humans to foster individual, communal, and planetary healing and wellbeing. Kay offers individual and group consultations, classes, workshops, and forest bathing. Her work focuses largely on menopause, second-half-of-life, and family health support, and she is passionate about bringing people together and creating communal and inclusive spaces of learning and exploration. Learn more at curaviriditas.com.
