Cotswold Natural Mindfulness & Forest Bathing

Free Your Inner Hunter/Huntress

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Your inner hunter is your instinct. It’s carried in your DNA and has been passed to you from generations of ancestors who instinctively knew how to survive and thrive in the world.

In today’s modern world the threats our ancestors faced no longer exist. We rarely get to use our instincts to protect our lives and for much of the time they go unnoticed. Most of us keep them caged up so deep within ourselves we can forget they’re there. That is until our instinct escapes and like a wild animal goes on the rampage leaving a path of destruction and self-destruction in its path. Our Instinct emerges when we feel threatened, cheated, disrespected or outraged and can hijack our lives with irrational fears or anger attacks.

A news report in 2015 about the US dentist, Walter Palmer killing Cecil – a much-loved African lion- demonstrates our Hunter instinct in two different ways.

  1. The Trophy Hunting Dentist’s brain was hijacked by his need for personal glory from taking on a wild animal and perhaps the boost this gave to his inflated ego from winning/succeeding.
  2. The outrage and outcry from people all over the world on social media, repulsed by his actions, condemning his mindlessness and threatening to punish him in extreme ways, demanding justice for Cecil.

Both reactions are wrong in a civilised world. However, when our instincts are unleashed suddenly it’s easy to react with little or no thought for the consequences of our actions and our capacity for compassion and understanding is seriously impaired too.

Some of the most emotionally balanced, confident, energised and happy people I know say that the secret to their success comes from listening to and using their INSTINCT wisely.They know that keeping their instincts locked up isn’t healthy, nor is allowing it to run wild without a care.

Instinct is designed to work in harmony with us not against us and needs to be guided by our capacity for higher levels of awareness. So the key question is “how do we free our instinct, safely release our inner hunter and watch it evolve into a trusted guide and protector?”

The first step is to get to know your Inner Hunter/Huntress. So what do you know about your Instinct?

What relationship do you have with your inner Hunter/Huntress?

The ability to see and understand how your mind works I call MINDSIGHT. It is having insight about how you think, feel and behave. MINDSIGHT enables you to learn from your experiences and change how you think, feel and respond to situations.

The following information may help you gain some MINDSIGHT into your own Hunter/Huntress

The Hunter/Huntress lives in the oldest part of your brain, deep down in your Cerebellum. Sometimes referred to as the Lizard Brain.

We can encourage our instincts to come out when we walk mindfully in the wilderness or wild places. So the next time you find yourself in a forest or woodland see if you can connect with your Hunter/Huntress. Allow your senses and instinctive connection to your environment, to guide you. When you reach a fork in a pathway, go with your gut instinct rather than your head. By all means track animals and birds. Allow your deep knowing to guide you rather than your memory or logic. Summon your inner hunter/huntress and listen to what they have to say. It will often come in the guise of a feeling rather than a thought.

This isn’t a complicated process, simply walk mindfully – be present and have an intention to follow where you feel the ‘urge’ to go.

But remember, we are more advanced than our ancestors , we have a duty of care towards the planet and the creatures that share it with us. If you do develop your instinct to track and discover wildlife make sure the only shot you take is with a camera.

 

ian sig

Ian Banyard - Author & Guide

Ian Banyard – Author & Guide

Ian Banyard is a Nature Connection Guide, guide trainer and author of Natural Mindfulness – your personal guide to the healing power of nature connection. Ian is also the founder of MBNFT – Mindfulness Based Nature & Forest Therapy. He is passionate about exploring nature and empowering people. Ian combines a wealth of knowledge and experience from his personal and corporate life with intuitive and instinctive insights from his own inner journey, to guide others.

ad4Ian lives in Gloucestershire, UK where he guides Natural Mindfulness Walks and provides online international guide training programmes, and encourages others who want to deepen their connection with nature and their true nature to journey with him on 1:1 MBNFT journeys.

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