Awake in the Wild ... an Inexpensive Way to Relax

How many of us have spent hundreds of dollars at the spa or thousands of dollars on the exotic vacation in hopes of escaping our hectic lifestyles and finding some sanity. Only to refresh for our next barrage of self-induced over-the-top busyness?

There is a better way to get the sanity check you need while not losing your mind when your visa bill shows up. You just need to take a walk on the wild side. And no I am not referring to the song. Instead I am pointing you to a new book, by a friend of mine, called Awake in the Wild. It was written by meditation teacher Mark Coleman with the foreword by Jack Kornfield (one of my favorite writers).

I have used nature as a way to reconnect to Mother Earth and become centered and grounded in my consciousness. By looking at the big picture of the Universe and my role in it, I have discovered my personal power. This has allowed me to adventure out into the world and take some pretty big risks. With risk comes failure ... and I certainly haven't succeeded at everything. For every big success I have had there has been just as equal of a failure in something else. But since I don't focus on the failures and instead view them as an opportunity for learning and growth, I have continued to think and act BIG. As a result I have accomplished many grand things in my life that I am very proud of.

Today after reading part of Mark's book last night, instead of rushing through my day and my to do list (which included the monumental task of cleaning out my garage), I took a few minutes to watch a beautiful Blue Jay bird frolic in my yard outside my door. It was a reminder how sometimes I need to slow down and just breath in beauty. As I result I changed the way I spent my time today and I was more refreshed and productive than usual (which is so important for us entrepreneurial independent types who tend to work alone a lot.)

Mark Coleman, in his book Awake in the Wild, provides dozens of easy to use meditations for readers to practice in many areas of their life. They are a blessing for someone like me who needs to just take a moment and breath sometimes.

Just think how much money you will save if you go for a hike instead of a massage. On a smaller scale, if you forgoe your $4 daily coffee, and instead do one of Mark's 5 minutes meditations outside of the office, you would save $1400 a year! Don't get me wrong ... I love a massage or Starbucks as much as the next person, but if you are looking simply for a quick way to refresh so you can be at the top of your game during the day, there is no better way than a walk in the wild. Even if it is just a quick trip to soak in the sun, bask in the glory of a beautiful flower or find amazement in the flight of a bird.