Four years ago, I was living in Coconut Grove, FL. On the surface, it was a dream. The sliding glass doors opened to banyan trees, turquoise bay waters, and white sailboats in the marina. Oversized tropical leaves framed the view. From a distance, it looked like peace.

But every time those doors opened, the city came rushing in—engines, horns, sirens, delivery trucks. Over time, the noise outside became noise inside. 

My nervous system felt overloaded. 

I became more irritable, more restless, less able to self-regulate with ease. Despite the beauty all around, I could no longer receive its medicine. I had absorbed too much of the cities static and it was rattling me.

It can happen like this. Sometimes there’s a slow buildup of things that aren’t truly aligned—thoughts, emotions, inner or outer circumstances, even the news or the feel of the environment around us. These layers begin to live in our bodyminds, shifting our baseline. 

When this happens, it doesn’t always mean we need to uproot or start over. Sometimes, it just means it’s time to come back—to nature, to presence, to the quiet truth of our own bodies.

Today, I sit in a quiet bungalow in Asheville, NC. The windows are open. Birds are singing. The wind rustles the trees. The contrast is medicine. But the real shift wasn’t the move—it was in answering the call to reconnect, to choose resonance over noise, even in small ways.

This month, let’s reconnect together. Whether we’re deep in nature or in the middle of the city, we can return to what’s nourishing. This simple practice meets us wherever we are, inviting our systems to soften and re-source.

🌿 Embodied Practice: Five Senses Reset

This takes just a few minutes. Try it now.

📍 Step One: Set the Scene

If you can, step outside for a moment—onto a porch, a balcony, or the nearest patch of sky.
If that’s not available, simply close your eyes and bring to mind one of your favorite places in nature.
No need to force it. Let whatever image arises be enough. Let your body soften as you arrive there.

Now, engage your senses, one by one…

👁️ See. Notice the landscape. Maybe it’s sunlight through trees, a winding trail, or waves rolling in. Let your focus rest on a small detail.

👂 Hear. Listen for sounds that come through the lands—wind through leaves, calls of birds, the insects hum. Listen for whatever is here to be heard.

👃 Smell. Inhale deeply. What scents are here? damp earth, salty air, pine needles, or sun-warmed herbs.

✋ Touch. Sense the textures around you, bare feet on stone, hands brushing soft moss, breeze across your skin. Feel yourself in contact with the natural world.

👅 Taste. Notice what flavors are here, the tang of citrus, a sip of cold spring water, the sweetness of summer fruit. Let it come alive on your tongue.

🌬️ Exhale. Let your body integrate this moment. Even one minute of connection to the natural world—real or remembered—can offer your nervous system a reset.