How to Break Your Habits and Reconnect with Nature: An Intro to Counterpractice
To bring harmony to our mind, body, spirit, and environment, we sometimes need to break out of our habitual ways of seeing the world. This is the idea behind "counterpractice," an artful method for reconnecting with reality.
As author Jon Endredy explains, counterpractice isn't an exercise in thinking differently; it is an exercise of "simply doing" things that are opposite to your usual point of view. It's not a debate or a thought experiment; it's a physical practice. I recently explored two counterpractices that left a profound impact on me.
Counterpractice 1: Seeing Nature as It Truly Is
The first practice is about experiencing the depth of a natural setting. It begins with a step-by-step sensory immersion: focusing first on your visual surroundings, then the sounds, the scents, the colors, textures, and even the weather.
Once you've brought your full awareness to the present moment, the practice takes a fascinating turn: you are to camouflage yourself in nature—perhaps by sitting quietly up in a tree—and try not to let the natural world see or hear you. The goal is to see nature in action, undisturbed by a human presence.
This led to a startling realization for me. Endredy mentions that when people walk into a natural setting, all the other animals flee. He notes, "no other animal causes this kind of panicked reaction." That struck a chord with me. I sometimes forget that we are also animals... very strong, dominating animals who often kill ruthlessly. It made me feel a deep sadness to realize that while other animals seem to get along, they don't get along with us. They see us as a threat.
Counterpractice 2: Understanding Your Nourishment
The second counterpractice involves investigating the true source of our food and how what we put into our bodies can be detrimental. This reminded me of a pivotal moment from my undergraduate years.
I was with my roommates watching a video about the ingredients inside McDonald's chicken nuggets. The person filming used a microscopic camera to show what was really inside—the abnormal texture of the meat, small green specks of algae. I wanted to barf. At that moment, I knew I would NEVER eat McDonald's again. For a while after, even the smell of any chicken nuggets made me nauseous.
That one video was an accidental counterpractice. It slowly led me to cut all fast food out of my diet, something I've stuck with since 2012. Being aware of the long-distance transportation of our food, the negative effects of industrial farming, and the impact on people in other countries truly changes how you feel about the nourishment that goes into your body. It's not just about the ingredients, but the larger system as well.
