Treeing, Just Noticing & The Quiet Moments That Stay With Us

There are moments in nature that ask very little of us.

A patch of golden light falling across a wild plant.
The aroma of pine and rosemary warming in the sun.
The sound of cicadas in the evening.
An old oak tree offering shade beneath its branches.

We don't have to do anything with these moments.

We just have to notice them.

A new word for an old practice

A few weeks ago, during one of my yoga classes, we took our practice, as we often do, outside beneath a beautiful old oak tree.

As I told the group we were heading outdoors, one of the participants smiled and said:

“Oh yay, are we treeing?”

I think she may have invented my new favourite word.

Because really, what is treeing?

Perhaps it's moving and breathing beneath the branches of a tree. Perhaps it's allowing the sounds, smells and textures of the natural world to become part of our practice. Perhaps it's simply spending time with a tree without asking anything from it.

I think treeing is all of these things.

And I love that the word came from someone experiencing it rather than something I had planned or named myself.

It captures something I have been weaving into my work for years ~ the idea that nature isn't just somewhere we go. It can become part of how we practise, rest, notice and reconnect.

The quiet moments that stay with us

I was reminded of this during a recent trip to Spain.

There were plenty of memorable experiences ~ walking through the mountains, kayaking across beautiful waters and exploring new places with my family.

But when I think back on the holiday, it is often the quieter moments that come to mind first.

The aroma of pine and rosemary on a woodland path.

The sound of cicadas as the evening settled.

Golden light catching the delicate seed heads of wild carrot.

Sitting beside a lake and simply being there.

And, on a clear day, looking out from the coast and seeing the mountains of North Africa in the distance.

That last one particularly stayed with me.

There was something quite extraordinary about being able to see another continent across the water. A simple reminder that although countries and oceans may appear to separate us, the landscapes, skies and seas are all part of something much bigger.

Connection doesn't always need to be something we consciously create.

Sometimes we simply need to notice that it is already there.

The practice of Just Noticing

This is at the heart of Just Noticing, a simple practice I often bring into my classes and nature-led wellbeing work.

There is no particular outcome.

You don't need to empty your mind or sit perfectly still.

You simply pause and pay attention.

What can you see?

What can you hear?

What can you feel?

Perhaps you notice the movement of leaves in the breeze. Perhaps you become aware of birdsong you hadn't heard before. Perhaps you notice the warmth of the sun on your skin or the aroma of the earth beneath your feet.

And perhaps, for a few moments, you stop thinking about what comes next.

That can be surprisingly powerful.

We spend so much of our lives doing, organising, planning and moving towards the next thing. Just Noticing offers a tiny interruption to that rhythm.

A moment to be where you actually are.

When nature becomes part of our wellbeing

This is one of the reasons I love bringing nature into yoga, meditation and EcoNidra.

These practices are not about escaping from everyday life.

Life will still be busy. There will still be lists to write, emails to answer and days when everything feels a little chaotic.

The invitation is simply to create small moments where we can come back to ourselves.

I was reminded of this recently through some lovely conversations with people who have joined my classes and retreats. They spoke about enjoying the nature connection, the meditations and the feeling of calm they experienced.

One new yogi even asked me if I am really that chilled in everyday life!

It made me smile because, of course, I'm not always.

But perhaps that's exactly why these practices matter.

We don't practise calm because life is always calm.

We practise creating space because life isn't.

And sometimes the effect reaches much further than the practice itself. Someone who joined my Held by the Summer Sun retreat recently told me that afterwards she experienced the best sleep she had had in years.

That is the part of this work I find so meaningful.

A little time spent slowing down can sometimes stay with us long after we have rolled up our yoga mat and gone home.

A little Just Noticing practice

You don't need to be somewhere spectacular to try this.

You can do it in your garden, on a walk, sitting beneath a tree, or even looking out of a window.

Try this simple 3, 2, 1:

🌿 3 things you can see
Take your time. Look for something you might normally overlook.

🌿 2 things you can hear
Perhaps something close by, and something further away.

🌿 1 thing you can feel
The ground beneath your feet, the air on your skin, the warmth of the sun, or simply the movement of your breath.

Then pause for another moment.

Nothing to achieve.

Nothing to change.

Just noticing.

And if you happen to find yourself beneath a tree, perhaps you could try a little treeing too.

I have a feeling it might be good for you.

Camomile Lawn ✨🌿💚

Nature-led wellness for body, mind & soul