"Go into nature. Find a quiet spot and stand still there. Keeping your eyes open, go through the steps of Grounded Aware Presence. For Grounded, bring attention to the contact of your feet with the ground and let your weight sink down into the earth's support. For Aware, center attention in sight as well as hearing. For Present, bring your hand to your heart and feel present both in your body and in the larger space around you.
"Let your attention be drawn to a flower, leaf, branch, stone, or other natural object. See it as if for the first time. Contemplate it, taking in all of its features and qualities. Let it become vividly present to you.
"Without losing sight of the outer object, bring awareness inside and notice if there is a corresponding felt sense. There may be little there at first, but wait patiently with friendly attending (both to the object and to your inner awareness) and see if a felt sense forms after a while. Note any thoughts that arise, and keep returning attention to your double awareness of the object and your felt sense. Let the felt sense deepen, change, or shift in any way it wants to.
"Wander aimlessly, allowing different objects to catch your attention, spending time with each in turn. Contemplate each object and gradually sense what comes for you in a bodily felt way. As you leave each object of contemplation, appreciate its presence in the world. Say, or feel, a silent thank-you. Between objects, walk slowly, feel the earth beneath your feet, and open all your senses — hearing, smell, and touch as well as sight. Feel your motion through the world.
"I'll close with a wonderful quotation from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the great German romantic poet who was also a pioneering scientist:
" 'The human being knows himself only insofar as he knows the world; he perceives the world only in himself, and himself only in the world. Every new object, clearly seen, opens up a new organ of perception in us.' "
