Sit spots

There's a lovely article in this summer's edition of Permaculture on connecting with nature, surely one of the best ways to soften those shoulders down and de-stress a little. I think us Brightoner's have it really good on that front, firstly we have the sea,.....its a wonderful meditative practice to sit on the beach and breathe in and out with the rise and fall of the waves, matching your breathing to the sound. And yes, its actually better with a pebble beach, before you start to ridicule our lack of sand, as the sound of the pebbles as the waves rise and fall add to the hypnotic effect. 
Do try it, feeling yourself lulled by the sound, calmness entering as you breathe in, and breathing out any worries to be carried back out to sea, continue breathing in this way for a few breaths, to the sound of the waves..... if you like, you can even close your eyes and imagine a little boat, that you pile all of your cares and concerns into, all of your upsets and worries, fears, tensions....the whole lot!! then when the boat is full, in your minds eye, push it out to sea, to take your nasty cargo far far away. Don't worry it will dissolve in the water eventually and be recycled by the depths into fish food!!
We also have the Downs, which brings me back to the article I mentioned. One of the sections is on the lovely practice of developing a 'Sit Spot". This is an outdoor place that you visit, ideally daily, to connect with nature. The aim being that you visit the same spot at different times of the day over the year. In this way, witnessing nature in all of it's stages, building a deep relationship with that spot, observing change, noting impermanence, the sense of security that we can observe from the cycle of life. We see still times, busy times, bare and abundant times and they just keep on coming, oblivious to whether we are there or not, ever changing but always present, always something to see, if we are mindful and open. Even the rich browns of the bare earth in winter, the sight of frost, smells, sounds or lack of. This can help us to realise that all things change, ebb and flow, which can be helpful if we are having a particularly difficult time. This too shall pass...
Do you have anywhere you return to again and again? How does that feel? Are you a tree or a beach type of person? As much as I love sitting on the beach, trees come in slightly in front for me!