Outdoor Meditation: Nurtured by Nature

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By Jeanne Ambrose and Kate Carter Frederick

Seek out peaceful outdoor havens and absorb the tranquility.

Getting rid of stress—at least temporarily—might be as simple as silencing the cell phone, kicking off your shoes, and sinking into a hammock in your own backyard. Find your refuge, a place for quiet contemplation that offers an antidote to the hustle and pressure of life. It might be relaxing on an outdoor recliner tucked beneath an arbor or on a bench nestled in front of a wall of climbing roses. Listen to the gentle sounds of nature, and feel the stress melt away.

Surrounding yourself with a sense of serenity may do more than soothe the soul. Studies show that people who practice Transcendental Meditation and other contemplative activities are able to lower their blood pressure, says Richard A. Stein, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at Beth Israel Hospital in New York.

"Any activity that you can do at a comfortable pace that is giving you pleasure and peace is a wonderful thing," Stein says. "Stress is such a difficult thing to measure, but clearly the more a person can do to balance stress, either with exercise or by focusing on calm, pleasurable activities, the healthier he or she is going to be."