I use with students Young's "core routines" for building nature connection that his organization, 8Shields.org, has developed from work over decades with people around the world (Young et al., 2011).
- Sit Spot: Regularly sit still in the same place in nature to watch, observe and listen.
- Sensory expansion: Expand all your senses outdoors.
- Learn bird language.
- Learn tracking of animals.
- Tell your nature stories, engaging all senses to achieve the storytelling magic.
- Practice Story of the Day: return from nature to tell your story to somebody.
- Practice timelessness: to counteract the powerful dis-connection of time sensitivity.
- Wander: without a destination, allowing your body to walk you to places.
- Implement gratitude as a daily practice.
- Map the landscape: both verbal and pictorial, for brain development and landscape integration.
- Journal on your own if no one can catch your story
Young (2019) discusses regenerative design for restoring connection with self, others and nature. 8Shields has identified 64 practices. Integrating indigenous wisdom and nature connection, they identify what is needed for proper development in particular phases of life.
Here are a few of the adult practices for building connection with other people:
- Greeting and welcoming customs: spending time reconnecting when first meeting, no matter the length of time apart.
- Unconditional listening to the stories and opinions of others, without judgment or distraction.
- Gratitude as a practice for starting any gathering.
- Cultural of allowance where people can express themselves however they will.
- Wiping off the road dust when first greeting-letting people catch up emotionally to where they are, for example, by telling their journey story.
- Reciprocate gift-giving.
See how these expand Maslow's notion of self-actualization, make it more socially conscious and group-oriented. Keeping in one's mind and heart both nature and others in daily events reflects a connected life that promotes wellbeing.
References
Maslow, A. (1970). Motivation and personality, 2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row.
Maslow, A. H. (1971). The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. New York: Viking.
Narvaez, D., Four Arrows, Halton, E., Collier, B., Enderle, G. (Eds.) (2019). Indigenous Sustainable Wisdom: First Nation Know-how for Global Flourishing. New York: Peter Lang.
Suzman, J. (2017). Affluence without abundance: The disappearing world of the Bushmen. New York: Bloomsbury.
Young, J. (2019). Connection modeling metrics for deep nature-connection, mentoring and culture repair. In D. Narvaez, Four Arrows, E. Halton, B. Collier, G. Enderle (Eds.) (2019). Indigenous Sustainable Wisdom: First Nation Know-how for Global Flourishing (pp. 219-243). New York: Peter Lang.
Young, J., Haas, E., & McGown, E. (2010). Coyote's guide to connecting with nature, 2nd ed.. Santa Cruz, CA: Owlink Media.
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