The Sit Spot

There is something we can all do that is really very simple and very powerful.

It can help us connect with our environment and what is living there. It can help us tune into a space and what is going on there. It can also help us to think, reflect, calm down and recalibrate.

All we have to do is find a spot and sit down.

This spot needs to be in the natural world so we can feel its restorative powers and just take a few minutes to be in the moment. It’s a time to just take it all in and have that time to yourself. It’s sitting with intent by  connecting with nature and tuning in rather than zoning out.

Although we are criticised for being far too sedentary, the sit spot technique contributes to our mental wellbeing and isn’t designed to be done for hours at a time.

Sit spots are often used as a way of helping us focus better because they are meditative and can help restore our attention.

In his widely acclaimed new book ‘Rewilding Childhood‘, Head Teacher Mike Fairclough talks about the value of the sit spot as a way of helping children at his school build instinct and intuition.

Before engaging in activities on the school marsh, children and adults find a spot away from everyone else to sit (or lie) down, close their eyes and to feel present in the moment.

This is a golden opportunity for everyone to connect with their senses and take in what they can from the space around them – what can they hear, smell, taste and touch? Done regularly, sit spots help develop their senses to function at a higher level.

This only takes 3 minutes but Mike reports that the process helps children experience a sense of calm and they are much more sensitive to what is around them. They also become more aware of themselves as living people who are part of the world too.

Mike makes a key observation here because a sit spot allows children to feel a sense of belonging as they become aware that they are part of something much bigger than themselves.

A sit spot is really about giving children the opportunity to quiet their minds and to focus their senses on nature – and it works! Sit spots are sweet spots!

When done often and regularly, sit spots really do contribute towards personal growth.