Gifts of Nature

Air, water, food. These three gifts of nature make life possible. Without food, we would live for a few weeks or months; without water, a few days; and without air, only a few minutes.

The constant process of breathing air in and out is often used as a focus for meditation. Concentrating on the breath quiets the mind and calms the body. But there’s another aspect to air – it’s part of the natural world and constantly cycles through our planetary environment. The oxygen that our bodies take in was released by green plants, gently exhaled if you will, by forests and grasslands and gardens.

What produced the oxygen you’re breathing in right now? Was it a rose garden in bright, fragrant bloom? Or a maple tree blazing with autumn color? Maybe a grassy field dotted with colorful wildflowers?

Water also cycles through the environment. Water evaporates, condenses into clouds, rains down again. The water in your body has been snow and fog, lake, river, and ocean.

What kind of water do you feel like? Soft, steamy vapor? Falling cascade? Smooth mountain lake? Strong river, great sea, or erupting geyser?

Air and water, along with sunlight and soil, nourish the plants that become our food. Food is harvested from the planet and consumed by our bodies. We often think of food merely as fuel – the energy required to perform our daily tasks, but eating is a far more intimate process. Food is ingested, ground up, broken down, and reassembled into our physical selves. The complex process of digestion transforms the components of food into the components of our bodies.

The human body is not a static object, but a dynamic entity that is constantly renewing itself. Every day, cells, tissues, and structures are being torn down and rebuilt. According to scientific estimates, within seven to nine years every part of your body will be replaced with fresh new molecules drawn from the natural world.

Air, water, food. These three gifts of nature play a vital, often underappreciated part in our daily existence. Becoming more aware of this intimate connection with the natural world helps to make us more receptive to nature’s positive, soothing energy.

Cultivate gratitude for the gifts of nature that nourish and maintain your physical body; and accept and appreciate the body that allows you to perceive and experience this wonderful, beautiful world.

Ideas for connecting with nature:

The average person uses about 19 cubic feet of oxygen per day. Visit a nearby tree, garden, plot of grass, or even a houseplant. Sit quietly and spend some time concentrating on your breath. Feel the air entering your body as you inhale, and imagine the plants around you producing the oxygen molecules that sustain your life.
Your body is about 60 percent water by weight. Visualize your favorite form of water (snow, rain, mist, river, ocean), and imagine that water as part of your body. How does it feel?
Take a walk outside on a breezy or rainy day. Pay special attention to the physical sensations that the wind and water create in your body.
During your next trip to the grocery store, stop in the produce section and admire the fruits and vegetables. Notice the colors, textures, even the subtle aromas. If you feel drawn to a particular item, purchase it, take it home, and spend some time with it. What is it that you find especially appealing about it?
When you have some quiet time alone, prepare a meal of raw or lightly steamed vegetables. Do not mix different vegetables together; give each one its own place on your plate. Before you begin to eat, take a few moments to think about where the food came from. Picture each vegetable as a crop in the field, nourished by sun, rain, and soil. As you put the food in your mouth, feel its texture and taste its own unique flavor. Chew slowly and consciously accept this part of nature into yourself. Imagine the good, nourishing plants being transformed into the structures of your body.

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