Attentional Activities -
Nature Observation
Duration
1 minute (plus discussion time)
Recommended amount of people
2-6
Skills
Slowing down, curiosity, recognition of interconnectedness, critical thinking, vulnerability
Materials
None, unless you wish to write your insights down (in which case: paper and writing material)
Preferable setting
Any location in nature
What?
A silent moment to practice the discipline of paying attention to our surroundings.
Note: This activity consists of two subjects: a natural setting and another person. The instructions and reflective questions differ slightly for each subject, so you are free to decide for yourself whether you want to do just one version of this practice, or both.
Why?
In a fast-paced world filled with distractions, it’s easy to slip into living life on autopilot. The places and people that are present in our daily routines are familiar and predictable, so why treat them with a special sense of attention?
Although we don’t consciously ask ourselves this question, we may find that over time our behaviour reflects such an attitude. We start mentally glossing over the people around us; taking their presence for granted and dismissing them. Perhaps what we need is to practice the mental habit of paying attention, to prevent the objectification of the world around us, and the people in it.
As such, the exercise detailed below aims to give us an opportunity to slow down enough to simply stop and observe and think critically about how we perceive what we are seeing.
Who knows, perhaps you’ll notice something you haven’t seen before…
Instructions
1
Find a landscape within the environment around you to focus on and set a timer for 30 seconds. In this case, a smaller scale may be better, so as to allow you to notice the details and not overwhelm you.o sit across from.
2
For 30 seconds, observe the scenery in silence.
3
Once the time is up, share a description of what you saw and anything else that comes up with a partner, or the rest of the group (if doing this in a bigger group).
4
When everybody has shared, set a timer for 1 minute and 30 seconds and repeat the observation process.
5
Finally, share your thoughts and observations during this process once more. Although you may just be sharing what you noticed with one another, try to discuss the underlying significance of your observations and your thought process.
Consider the following reflection questions:
1. How did it feel to take this time to observe the natural world?
2. To what extent were you present in this moment? Did your thoughts stray away from the exercise?
3. What was the nature of your observation? (E.g., did you see things simply for what they are, or did you think about the uses of the things that you saw?)
4. What senses did you describe the most? Only what you saw or things you heard/smelled/felt as well?
5. Did anything surprise you during this process? (Either regarding your behaviour or something you noticed in the environment?)