Love of Nature

Love of Nature

Step 1 : “Firstly, sit in a comfortable position on your chairs, or cross legged on the floor. Make sure your back is straight and head is upright. Take a deep breath and relax as you breathe out. Take another deep breath… and another…”

Step 2 : “Be aware of the five senses: the smell of the air in the room, the taste of the water in your mouth, the firmness of the ground under your feet and the touch of the air on the skin. Now close your eyes to avoid the distraction of seeing the things around and hear the sounds in the room. (Pause a minute or two). Hear the sounds outside the room. Let your hearing stretch out as far as you can”.

Step 3 : Imagine you are a tiny seed under the earth… It is dark and you send down your roots to find water… You begin to push upwards, although you don’t know what it is you are looking for. Suddenly, you break through the earth into the light… It feels wonderful! The sun warms you and you stretch higher… You feel healthy and strong…
Feel the rain as it seeps into the ground and you drink the cool refreshing water… After a lot of growing you discover who you really are… You may be a flower, a tree, a vegetable or a bush…
Picture what you are in your mind and admire yourself… You are something beautiful that has come from the earth with the help of the sun and rain…

Step 4 : “Now bring your attention back to the classroom, open your eyes and stretch, as the exercise has finished. Smile at the person next to you and tell them the date and time.”

(After these silent sitting exercises students may wish to share their experiences and this should be encouraged, especially asking how they feel. It is a good time to do some creative work such as drawing a picture of their experience.)

Adapted from ‘Sathya Sai Education in Human Values’, Published by BISSE Limited