Eckhart TolleNYT Bestselling author of the Power of Now

Eckhart Tolle: How Nature Frees You From Thought

13 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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In this brief excerpt, Eckhart Tolle explains that for many people the first experience of spiritual awakening occurs in nature. He proposes that nature can be used deliberately as a practice: by giving one’s full attention to the natural world, a person can temporarily transcend the conceptual mind and enter a state of pure being. Tolle illustrates this with simple examples—observing a dog or cat, or relating to a pet without words—showing that even brief, non‑verbal communion with an animal can free the mind from thoughts. The core message is that any natural encounter, when approached with mindful presence, can serve as a temporary release from mental chatter, allowing a deeper sense of being.

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Spiritual awakening for some people comes— the first time they experience it might be in nature. You can also use nature as a practice. You can, you can go into nature and give it your attention as fully as possible, and then you can see how nature can help you transcend the conceptual mind. Even a dog can do that. If you live with a dog or a cat, you may not know it, but relating to a dog potentially can, to a limited, to a small extent, free you from the conceptual mind. But if you can also relate to the dog on a deeper level, when you're not talking, you're just... Being. There's a communication, there's a meeting. So anything natural can free you temporarily from the— your conceptual mind if you allow it to.