The Power of Nothing
by Dave Santillo, Ph.D.
“There is never nothing going on” (The character Socrates in The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Milman)
At first glance, the title of this months’ column and quote seem to contradict each other. One hints that "nothing" is quite powerful, while the other dismisses it as something that doesn’t even exist. But my topic and goal for this month is to prepare you to be more open to experiencing nature. A critical first step in this is to learn to do nothing….so you can in turn see that there really is never nothing going on in nature. You’ll see how easy it is to be successful in seeing nature, because I will be asking you to…..do nothing!
Why is being able to do nothing important as a building block to gaining more from nature? To gain insight, increase your awareness and ability to perceive and feel nature and, well, just be able to see things, it’s absolutely critical to slow down and meet nature on its own terms. By doing “nothing” you’ll be better able to feel the energy of nature, and to observe things you’ve ignored or just were not tuned in to. Aside from this, can anyone question the self-restorative value of slowing down?
Doing nothing in nature can lead to witnessing and understanding wonderful things about natural history, ecology, weather patterns, animal behavior, and more. It can be wildly charging, such as when your stillness allows you to be there when a raptor swoops to capture prey, or it can be crazy subtle, such as when you find yourself playing that supposedly childhood game of “what shape is that cloud?”
This past week, I was on a sea kayaking expedition in Penobscot Bay. The group consisted of four relatively strong paddlers, and we established an aggressive paddling goal of exploration throughout the Vinylhaven and Northhaven island clusters. We all were excited to get to know this area better, and put on some serious miles. We awoke on day two of our four day trip to a glassy ocean, calm winds, clear sky…..and a gradual change of plan that would not be denied. In classic convergent evolution, all four of us, over a period of hours, embraced a day essentially on par with playing that cloud shape game! And we were rewarded with an incredibly restorative day. As a sea breeze picked up, I became aware of the various layers in the sound of the wind: gusts were varying musical movements or different instruments kicking in. I spent a long time looking at the rocky shoreline and noticing how many different species of insects used these rocks. None of my experiences led to any great revelations, but they were an incremental deposit to my treasure chest of time spent in nature; they allowed me to let go of what’s-been-ailin’ me, and they led to an affirmation of why I value nature so deeply.
By being in nature and doing nothing and being still – and getting rather good at it – I’ve had all kinds of wildlife ranging from deer and moose, fishers, to countless birds, go about their business unaware of my presence, sometimes practically at arms length..
Doing nothing means slowing down, decompressing your stress, and emptying your mind. Always remember that busy eyes and brains rarely see nature. Most folks freely admit that slowing down and accepting doing nothing….well, it’s not that easy. How do you do it? When you first try this, if you haven’t done it before or even if you have, you’ll be challenged by “the busyness” of your mind and body. Folks who practice meditation have a head start. With dedication and a bit of practice, you’ll find it relatively easy to do, and you will see immediate results. There are a few helpful techniques that are useful to settle in. BUT, a key for this first encounter is to not try too hard. Just let it happen.
An obvious first step is to head to a spot in nature that’s accessible, peaceful, and if possible, away from human activity. As you get closer to your destination, start walking slower, and think about your breathing, deep and full. When you get there, sit quietly and begin to let the place relax you. Remember that sitting quietly in a natural setting is a simple form of meditation; an antidotefor being too much in our heads, and too focused on thoughts and emotions.
Calm your busy eyes – good practice for many of the seeing-nature techniques we’ll be talking about further down the road…eyes that continually scan miss movements because they are moving themselves
To help you slow down, use breathing and meditation concepts. Use your favorite mind calming technique. One of my favorites is the black hole method. Picture deep space and a black hole…..a black hole that pulls in every fragment of your busy life. It’s easy to picture each thought that enters your head, swirling and dropping over the edge. When all the thoughts disappear into the black hole…you are left with nothingness. But it will be a nothingness that is rapidly filled with an increased awareness of the nature that surrounds you.
But practice asking nothing of that nature. Just accept what it gives, and notice and appreciate it. Pick a single spot and look at it for a long time Notice that the longer you do nothing, your senses become sharper, without even thinking about them. Become aware of the energy in nature, and notice things that you’ve ignored up till now, or just were not tuned in to.
See if you can do this for an hour….but don’t bring a watch!
When your nature retreat is done, there are many things you can do to help you remember your experiences, to build upon them each time you seek nature, and to have fun with it. Many folks, including me, like to record thoughts and experiences into a nature journal. My son enjoys pencil sketching. See if you can record “something” about the “nothing” experience on your digital camera!
Remember, being able to empty your mind, and to encounter nature on its own terms without preconceptions or expectations will help to increase your awareness, sharpen your senses, help you to see more, and help you to coexist better with natural environments. As a bonus, the healing and relaxation benefit of time spent in nature will rapidly follow!
-Dave
Dave Santillo, Ph.D. is an outdoorsman, naturalist and adventurer who delights in approaching his relationship to nature from a variety of physical, spiritual, recreational and educational perspectives. He has a Ph.D. in Environmental and Forest Biology and has been lucky enough to be able to take part in a wide variety of studies of wildlife, fish, plants and insects for over 25 years in his professional life.
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