Join the Healthy & Well at LBNL team for
a 5-day nature based mindfulness practice in honor of Earth Month. 

Earth Day coincides with spring in the Bay Area when the hills are green, the songbirds have arrived, and the flowers are blooming. It’s the perfect time to practice mindfulness of the natural world!

This practice asks you to pay attention to the natural world and in particular to the feelings evoked by nature. Research suggests that people often feel positive emotions like awe, connectedness, and hope in natural settings, and taking time to acknowledge these feelings can strengthen them. In our busy world, nature may help us recharge by capturing our attention gently and effortlessly, the way we’re mesmerized by the rays of the sun or delighted by the crunch of fall leaves. Other researchers theorize that the calming influence of nature reduces our distress and sense of isolation. When we notice the nature around us, we can tap into its profound benefits. (Greater Good Science Center)

For this practice you don’t have to budget extra time outdoors - just notice the nature that’s already in your life (house plants, trees along the street etc.), pay attention to how it makes you feel, snap a photo of what you're noticing and then, once a day, add your picture and a short description of why you took the photo and how the nature scene made you feel to the practice Kudoboard.