你为什么以及如何开始坐着的习惯

I'm sitting on deep green moss at the base of an old Sitka spruce. Sunlight is filtering down through a canopy of pine and alder, vine maple and salmonberry. On my right, a small creek tumbles over rocks and fine silt, wraps around the little knoll I'm on and continues down a small green ravine into a sedge-filled marsh. There's a tiny, mouse-sized (and mouse-colored) Pacific wren a few feet away feeding in the tangle of sword ferns, and a few minutes ago a varied thrush flew up from the underbrush into the spruce, staring down at me for a minute or two before flying off.

我正坐在一棵古老的锡特卡云杉底部的深绿色苔藓上。阳光透过松树、赤杨、藤枫和沙门莓的树冠照射下来。在我的右手边，一条小溪在岩石和淤泥上翻滚，环绕着我所在的小山丘，沿着一条绿色的小峡谷向下延伸，进入一片平静的沼泽。离我几英尺远的地方，有一只和老鼠一样大小(和老鼠一样颜色)的太平洋鹪鹩正在剑齿缠绕的蕨类植物中觅食。几分钟前，一只不同种类的画眉从灌木丛中飞上云杉，低头盯着我看了一两分钟，然后飞走了。

Starting a sit-spot routine connects you with nature, which has proven health benefits. (Photo: Irina Shapirova/Shutterstock)

The location I'm describing is a place I visit at least four or five times a week. It's my location for a sit-spot routine that makes me a happier, healthier, more observant and more optimistic person.

我描述的地点是一个我每周至少访问四到五次的地方。这是我坐着的位置，让我成为一个更快乐、更健康、更善于观察和更乐观的人。

The sit-spot practice is a favorite — practically required — routine among naturalists who have noted for countless years that it's the best way to really learn about the species that live around you.

静坐练习是博物学家们最喜欢的——实际上也是必须的——一种惯例，他们多年来一直认为这是真正了解生活在你周围的物种的最好方法。

But increasingly it's also a practice that doctors can get behind.

但医生们也越来越多地支持这种做法。

.

A sit-spot is simply a place you can quietly enjoy a slice of nature. (Photo: Leszek Glasner/Shutterstock)

Time outdoors increases concentration, decreases stress, lowers blood-pressure and provides many more positive effects. Call it nature connection, forest bathing or whatever else you like, the long and short of it is that going outside is good for you.

在户外活动的时间可以提高注意力，减少压力，降低血压，并产生许多积极的效果。你可以把它叫做与大自然的联系，森林浴或者其他任何你喜欢的活动，总之，户外活动对你有好处。

One easy, straightforward routine you can do on a daily basis to gather some of these benefits is adopting a sit-spot.

你可以每天做一个简单、直接的日常活动来获得这些好处，那就是坐着。

How to find your sit-spot

如何找到你静坐的地点

Enjoying nature, even in our own backyards, has proven health benefits. (Photo: Jamie Hooper/Shutterstock)

1. It needs to be close to your home — no more than a five-minute walk from your front door. Yes, it can even be in your backyard.

它必须离你家很近——从你家前门步行不超过5分钟。是的，它甚至可以在你的后院。

This close proximity is what will help make visiting your spot a routine. The longer it takes you to get to your spot, the less likely you will be to visit multiple times a week. And if you aren't visiting it regularly, then you can't tap into all those healthful benefits.

这种近距离的接触将有助于使参观你的景点成为一种惯例。你到达目的地的时间越长，你就越不可能一周去很多次。如果你不经常做，那么你就不能获得所有这些健康益处。

Birdwatching helps you to get to know the animals you're sharing space with. (Photo: Tsveta Nesheva/Shutterstock)

2. It needs to have some animal activity.

需要一些动物活动。

Most any location you choose will have at least a handful of robins or sparrows hanging around, if not more wildlife to watch. Notice the evidence of how they're using the landscape. This helps you tune in to more than just the scenery around you but also to the fact that you're part of a larger ecosystem. It inspires the connection — the awe — that triggers so many other wonderful benefits of nature.

在你选择的大多数地方，至少会有一些知更鸟或麻雀出没，如果没有更多的野生动物供你观赏的话。注意他们如何利用景观的证据。这不仅能帮助你欣赏周围的风景，还能让你意识到你是一个更大的生态系统的一部分。它激发了人与人之间的联系，激发了人们对大自然的敬畏之情。

Get comfortable in your sit-spot. You can bring a cushion to sit on, a thermos of tea or other things that will help you settle in to sitting. (Photo: Crazy Squirrel/Shutterstock)

3. It needs to be safe.

它必须是安全的。

Ideally, your sit-spot will be secluded so that you can have some solitary time to sit in peace and get comfortable without distraction or influence from other people. But in this solitude, you must feel safe. Pay attention to the area around you and the area leading into and away from your sit-spot. If any red flags go up that make you feel unsafe, select a different location.

理想情况下，你的座位应该是僻静的，这样你就可以有一些独处的时间来安静地坐着，不受他人的干扰和影响。但在这种孤独中，你必须感到安全。注意你周围的区域和进出你坐着的地方。如果出现任何让您感到不安全的危险信号，请选择一个不同的位置。