Your Mind Fully Present: Listening to Your Heart: Finding Your Way Back to You
Updated: Aug 29
Lately, I’ve been craving nature.
And yes, I know how lucky I am to live near the beach and have beautiful hiking trails nearby. But I mean really being surrounded by nature. Trees. Mountains. Maybe a stream. Somewhere beautiful and quiet. The kind of places I take everyone during my guided meditations.
Sometimes I feel like I want to be surrounded by nature—for its simple yet grand beauty, the colors, the space, and the quiet. Maybe what I’m craving outside of me is also what I’m craving within: peace. Quiet. Space to breathe. Time to simply be.
There is something about being surrounded by nature that can help me feel grounded and present. The quiet around me can make it a little easier to find some quiet within me. I can declutter my brain.
And maybe when everything gets quiet enough, when some of the clutter clears, we can finally hear ourselves.
Because there is so much noise in our lives. Not just the literal noise of phones, schedules, work, responsibilities, news, and social media, but all the other voices we carry with us—what we were taught, what our families believed, what our culture values, what other people expect of us, and what we have come to expect of ourselves.
And then there are the blurred lines between what the people we love need and what we need. Our kids, no matter their age. Our aging parents. Our partners. Our friends. We can become so accustomed to thinking about what everyone else needs that somewhere along the way, it can become harder to hear our own needs.
And when we finally ask ourselves, What do I need?—are we even allowed to ask?
And if we are, do we know how to answer?
Even I, someone who spends so much of my work helping people reconnect with themselves and discover what brings them joy, can sometimes lose sight of what truly brings me joy.
And maybe that’s part of it too. What brings us joy can change as our lives change. We change. Our priorities shift. What felt right or fulfilling five, ten, or twenty years ago may not be what we need or want today.
Tuning in and listening to ourselves isn’t something we do once.
It’s a conversation we need to keep having.
Underneath all of our busy, there is a voice.
Our own.
But are we listening?
And even if we listen, can we truly hear it? Know it? Recognize it?
Maybe that’s what I’m really craving when I crave nature.
Not an escape from my life. Not somewhere to run away to.
Just enough space and quiet to hear myself again.
And while I may not always be able to surround myself with trees, mountains, and streams, I can still create moments of quiet right where I am.
I can close my eyes. I can breathe. I can quiet some of the noise.
And then I can connect to my heart.
I can listen.
I can wait for it to speak to me.
And maybe, in that quiet, find my way back to me.
A Practice for Listening Within
You don’t have to go to some far-off nature reserve—or even leave your home—to create a little more space to hear yourself.
Start by finding a comfortable place where you can be undisturbed for a few minutes. It can be in nature or even in your closet. Both places work!
And with practice, you can learn to find moments of inner peace and calm even in the middle of a busy kitchen, office, or classroom.
Bring your attention to your breath and begin breathing slowly and evenly. Allow your breath to settle into a comfortable rhythm, gently slowing your inhale and exhale.
Then bring your awareness to the area around your heart. You may want to place a hand over your heart and simply notice what you feel.
There is nothing you need to solve right now. Nothing you need to figure out.
Just breathe.
And listen.
You might gently ask yourself:
What do I need right now?
What brings me joy now?
What do I already know that I haven’t been listening to?
Don’t force an answer. Give yourself the space to notice what comes up—or what doesn’t.
You don’t have to figure everything out today.
Sometimes simply creating a little space to hear yourself is enough.
Just breathe. Listen. And see what you discover.
If you’d like a little more help creating the space to listen within, try this simple 5–10 Minute Mindful Yoga Reset.
Through gentle movement, breath, and awareness, we can quiet some of the noise, reconnect with ourselves, and create a little more space to listen to our inner voice.
▶️ Move. Breathe. Listen. — A 5–10 Minute Mindful Yoga Reset
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