Try this 20-Minute Nature Practice Is Changing How Leaders Think, Feel, and Decide
A simple Sit Spot practice for reducing stress, restoring clarity, and reconnecting with what matters — even in the middle of a city
Over the last two years, one pattern has become impossible for me to ignore.
Whether I’m working with leaders, founders, CEOs, or people quietly standing at a crossroads in life, the same theme keeps surfacing. Different industries. Different pressures. The same underlying feeling.
We have become disconnected.
Disconnected from nature.
Disconnected from each other.
And, often, disconnected from ourselves.
That disconnection shows up as stress, burnout, constant busyness, decision fatigue, and a vague sense that something essential has been lost. Not because people are failing — but because modern life rarely gives us space to pause, notice, and simply be.
The practice I want to share with you here isn’t a hack, a productivity trick, or another thing to optimise. It’s something far simpler — and, in my experience, far more powerful.
It’s called the Sit Spot practice.
I’ve been working with this practice regularly for about a year now, and it has changed the quality of my attention, my decisions, and how I show up — both personally and professionally. That’s why I want to share it with you, as a gift.
A gift passed hand to hand
I was first introduced to the Sit Spot by Christopher Kuntz, who learned it from Jon Young. Since then, it has reappeared again and again through different trainings and traditions, including my work with Elsa Selva, James Farrell, and Diana Tedoldi.
Different teachers. Different lineages.
The same quiet wisdom.
At its heart, the Sit Spot practice is a way of being with nature, rather than analysing it, using it, or escaping into it. That small shift — from doing to being — is where the real change begins.
Practised gently and regularly, it reshapes how we relate to the living world. And just as importantly, how we relate to ourselves.
A simple practice for better decisions
Here’s an invitation.
Imagine the next time you’re facing a big, important decision — something about your leadership, your business, or your life.
Instead of rushing it.
Instead of thinking it through endlessly at your desk.
Instead of deciding in an environment that keeps you disconnected from your body and senses…
What if you first went and did a Sit Spot?
I’m fairly sure the decision you come back with will be a damn sight better than one taken under pressure, distraction, or noise.
I’ve seen this again and again — with leaders I work with, and in my own life. Recently, I was sitting with an important decision and noticed my old habit kicking in: analyse quickly, decide fast, move on. Instead, I went out and did a Sit Spot. I didn’t force an answer. I simply sat, noticed, breathed, and listened.
When I came back, there was a quiet clarity about what needed to happen next. No drama. No overthinking. Just a grounded sense of direction.
Presencing, not just thinking
This is one reason the Sit Spot practice resonates so strongly with the work of Otto Scharmer and the idea of presencingdeveloped through MIT.
Presencing isn’t about thinking harder.
It’s about connecting more fully — to what we’re sensing, feeling, and noticing in the moment.
In many ways, the Sit Spot is presencing in practice.
It brings us back into our bodies.
It sharpens our senses.
It changes the quality of attention we bring to a decision.
And when the quality of attention changes, the quality of decisions often follows.
So, how does the Sit Spot practice actually work?
At its simplest, the Sit Spot practice has four gentle phases.
Nothing fancy. Nothing to master. Just a rhythm you can return to.
1. Choose a place you can return to
Find a spot you feel drawn to — somewhere safe, accessible, and with a hint of wildness. It might be a tree, a bench, a small patch of green, or a quiet corner of urban land. What matters is that you can come back to the same place again and again.
2. Slow the journey there
The practice begins before you arrive. As you walk, slow down. Notice sounds, movement, weather, life unfolding around you. This gently shifts you out of “doing mode” and into presence.
3. Sit, breathe, and notice
Once you arrive, settle in. Sit or stand or lie down comfortably.
Breathe:
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4 seconds in through the nose
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6 seconds out
After a few minutes, open your eyes and simply notice:
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sounds near and far
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movement and stillness
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light, shadow, texture, life
You’re not analysing or trying to get anywhere. You’re letting the world come to you.
4. Close with gratitude
After around 20 minutes, step back slowly and offer a simple thank you — for the time, the place, and the permission to simply be.
That’s it.
No app.
No performance.
No outcome to chase.
Still not sure what this looks like?
If reading about it feels a bit abstract, this short video by Micah Mortali captures the felt sense of the Sit Spot beautifully — its pace, simplicity, and quiet presence:
Notice how little is done.
Notice the waiting, the listening, the stillness.
That’s the practice.
Why returning changes everything
The deeper gift of the Sit Spot practice comes from returning to the same place again and again.
Over time, you begin to notice:
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shifts in light
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changes in temperature
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growth, decay, renewal
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arrivals and disappearances
Modern life insulates us from these rhythms. We move from heated rooms to air-conditioned cars, barely touching the seasons at all. This nature practice quietly restores that relationship — reminding us that life moves in cycles, and that we are part of them.
This is just as powerful in a city as it is in wild places.
A few gentle guidelines
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Bring as little as possible
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No phone, no headphones, no distractions
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Ideally, no journalling during the sit itself
Afterwards, when you’re somewhere comfortable, spend five or ten minutes writing:
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what you noticed
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what stood out
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what shifted
Nothing fancy. Just traces of awareness.
Sit Spot Practice – Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a Sit Spot practice last?
Around 20 minutes is ideal. If you only have 10 minutes, that’s fine too. Consistency matters more than duration.
Can I do a Sit Spot practice in a city?
Yes. A park bench, a tree-lined street, a courtyard, or a small patch of green all work beautifully.
Do I need to meditate or clear my mind?
No. This practice is about noticing, not emptying the mind.
What if my mind feels busy or distracted?
That’s completely normal. Gently returning to breath or sensation is already the practice.
How often should I do the Sit Spot practice?
Once or twice a week is a great place to start. Returning regularly is what deepens it.
A final invitation
This Sit Spot practice has supported me deeply over the last year — personally, and professionally, as a leadership coach working with people navigating complexity, responsibility, and change.
I’ve also shared it at a recent retreat here in the Tramuntana mountains in Mallorca, where people unplugged from constant input and reconnected with what really mattered. Again and again, the Sit Spot proved to be one of the most quietly powerful practices of the whole experience.
I offer it to you now as a gift.
Have a go.
See what unfolds.
And if you try it, I’d genuinely love to hear how it works for you.
If this sparks curiosity about how nature-based coaching might support you — whether in your leadership, your business, or the stage of life you’re in — you’re warmly invited to connect:
👉 https://paulrodwell.com/contact/
It begins with a simple exploration conversation.
We take it gently from there. 🌿
