Being Instead of Doing: Reconnecting with Nature and Our True Self

Recently, I hosted an Enneagram & the Coach Retreat that brought eight coaching business owners together to step away from the busyness of their coaching practices. They set aside the noisy world of electronics—smartphones, laptops, to-do lists—and embraced the silence and stillness of nature while BEING with themselves.

It was a profound experience of slowing down, letting go of external distractions, and reconnecting with both nature and their true nature.

If you’ve ever attended a retreat or tried to meditate, you know the challenge of escaping the constant mental chatter in your head. Those incessant ramblings feel real: thoughts, worries… Meditate… MEDITATE!

You find yourself battling with images and thoughts of the past and future, and you’re disconnected from the present moment. Meditation helps us open ourselves to a willingness to be with the silence, to connect to a deeper part of our being, and to access our true nature.

This can be humbling and uncomfortable because we’re so used to doing things and distracting ourselves.

During my retreat, I didn’t bombard participants with exercises and activities. Instead, we created an environment where they could relax and be free with their thoughts and feelings. They had the liberty to nap if they wished, to sit by the river, to walk in the woods, or to simply be still and absorb the serene beauty around them.

This spacious agenda allowed them to reconnect with themselves in profound ways.

We are taught that our feelings are not to be trusted.

As children, we were naturally curious about nature and the magical world around us. We are born as the pure essence of love. But as we grow, our elders teach us that our feelings are not to be trusted and that there is no place for feelings in the workplace.

We quickly replace curiosity with fear and lose connection with our natural surroundings. We numb out, become constricted by our thinking patterns and limiting beliefs, and feel disconnected and separate.

Our true nature fades into the background of our busy lives.

One of the best ways I’ve found to quiet my mind is to tune back into the frequency of the earth and become curious again.

Nature has wisdom without words, a powerful message heard deeply when you quiet your mind. This is why so many people are drawn to walking in the woods to escape the hustle and bustle of life. For me, being out in nature is my way of entering silence.

During our retreat, we used the understanding of the Enneagram to connect deeply with ourselves and each other. The participants shared powerful insights, the more we are aware of our true nature, the deeper we can guide and support others.

You only understand your clients from the level that you understand yourself. You have to know yourself well first… Especially if you are in service to others in your work.

The silence of nature and the profound framework of the Enneagram allowed participants to reconnect with themselves and nature, no longer feeling separate from everything.

Many participants shared that they didn’t realize how much they needed this retreat until they were there. By giving themselves the gift of solitude, space, and connection, they experienced profound shifts. They left with lasting memories and a renewed connection to themselves.

Slowing down and connecting to nature in our busy, fast-paced world is an excellent way to relax, heal, regenerate, and rediscover your true nature. This retreat was a testament to the transformative power of being. Bringing this renewed energy back into daily life can be transformational—everything shifts, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.

Scott Stillman, in his book “Nature’s Silent Message,” sums it up beautifully:

…The opportunity to get lost so that I might find myself again. Each time I’m surprised at what I find. Wilderness is my church, my teacher, my mentor, my psychologist, my mother, my savior.

The school of life where we learn not from books, not from words, not from lectures. A classroom where we learn not from that which thinks, but that which knows. The lesson is truth itself.

Open your heart, quiet your mind, and be curious.

If you would like more information about my next Enneagram & the Coach Retreat, please email me at info@coachbrilliant.com.

I invite you to consider giving yourself the gift of being and rediscover the profound impact it can have on your life.

Reconnect with your true nature. Embrace the power of being. Your journey awaits.