Connecting with our Natural World

One of my most using sayings – we were never designed to be so disconnected to mother earth as we are today.

When we think about how we were (those of certain age groups) when we were children and how we would spend vast amounts of time in bare feet, running through grass, sand of any other natural earth that happened to be there. Totally unphased and our feet just seemed to adapt.

Earthing has many physiological benefits and there are scientific studies that show that disconnection can increase many ailments including inflammations and arthritis. 

Global ecology: From littering to deforestation – we have all seen and been inspired by the recent dramatic changes in our early lockdowns or mother earth having a chance to heal. Imagine if we took this further…..

Cultural Values: Greater concerns around social, emotional and moral – also translate to apathy, greed and selfishness – the more we become a tech based globe, the more we seem to lose touch with relationships and our true values.

As a nature and forest therapy guide; Our strategy is based on the idea that our species evolved along with the plants and animals that cohabit our planet. 

Our bodies are adapted to breathing the air emitted by healthy forests. 

There is medicine in that air.

One element of the healing power of forested areas is the natural aromatherapy from which we benefit by simply breathing the air beneath the canopy of trees.  

By now most of us are familiar with the beneficial effects of that class of chemicals called phytoncides, the essential oils found in many types of woody plants, particularly conifers. 

In addition to the mechanism of aromatherapy, exposure to the forest environment bathes us in many other healing influences. 

The sounds of the wind moving through the trees;  the background chatter of birds which may bring to us new and surprising ways of listening to the voice of the whole landscape;  the changing weather and how it affects our sensing;  the many textures of touch and of sight…  

All of these together provide a medicine that complements and amplifies the effects of aromatic extracts. 

Forest and nature medicine researchers are linking health to wide variety of elements of nature. For example, exposure to the many shades of color that comprise the “green” we see in plants is itself calming and healing.

It makes sense that it should be so, for although we have recently in our history as a species learned to live more and more in cities and human-built environments, our DNA still recognizes the forest and wild areas as home. 

And as a home, the forest is a place of healing.

Our ancestors knew this well. 

They not only benefitted from the medicine freely offered by the wild, but also offered their own medicine back. 

Indigenous peoples maintained the vitality of their food larders, medicinal plant supplies, and sources of tools and fibers by “wild tending”–a type of constant gardening undertaken while walking along the trail. 

Pinch the top of the medicinal sage plant just so, and it branches out, providing more leaves while also increasing its capacity to gather sunlight and feed its roots.

The point here is that the land has grown up with us; it has evolved in way that benefits from our mutual relationship with it. 

 creating a viable human culture should be a joint project that includes the voices of the land and waters and sky and all who live there.

The land offers itself to us as a rich source of abundance of many kinds. But it is a mistake to think of nature solely in terms of “natural resources.” 

How well would any friendship with a person work out if we treated each other solely as resources? 

Relationship involves mutuality, an understanding that we are there for each other, instead of an attitude of “what have you done for me lately?”

The land needs us to listen to it, to sit with it in silence, to tend to it when it is ill, to cultivate its health and to act considerately toward it. The land needs us to love it.

Forest therapy is a dynamically developing practice based on the general principle that it is beneficial to spend time bathing in the atmosphere of the forest. 

There is a long tradition of this in cultures throughout the world. 

When I was first trained in shinrin Yoku and studied its history – it was steeped in the principles of Shinto, Tao and Buddhism. 

The basic assumptions were

• The source of nature is spirit
• Nature has its own meaning, significance and purpose
• Certain aspects of nature are invisible
• Nature is part of a greater whole, which is beyond time and space
• Natures beauty has intrinsic value
• That which preserves the beauty and harmony of nature is good. That which destroys it is bad
• All animals, plants and landscapes are sacred
• All creatures have an equal right to self fulfilment
• The inner world is a part of nature
• We should celebrate the creation with sone, dance, art, poetry and stories
• Science is an indispensable tool for gaining knowledge about nature
• The belief that science is the only source of wisdom is however a dangerous and misguided philosophy.

And, at least from my perspective, Nature connection and forest therapy – it’s not just about healing people; it includes healing for the forest (or river, or desert, or whatever environment you are in).

There are some general guidelines:

There is a specific intention to connect with nature in a healing way. This requires mindfully moving through the landscape in ways that cultivate presence, opening all the senses, and actively communicating with the land.

It is not something to rush through. 

Shinrin Yoku walks are not undertaken with the primary goal of physical exercise. I prefer to avoid the term “hiking” because of its implications of physical exertion. It’s more about being here, than it is about getting there.

Healing interactions require giving generously of our attention. When I guide these walks I gently encourage the spontaneous emergence of a natural state mindfulness through an ever-changing and evolving series of invitations. 

These invitations are all crafted to slow us down and open our senses. We begin to perceive more deeply the nuances of the constant stream of communications rampant in any natural setting. We learn to let the land and its messages penetrate into our minds more deeply.

It’s not a one-time event. Developing a meaningful relationship with nature occurs over time, and is deepened by returning again and again throughout the natural cycles of the seasons.

Forest therapy is best thought of as a practice, similar to yoga or exercise or daily walking.

It’s not just about taking walks in the forest. The walks are important, but there are other core routines that we can do that will help in our deepening relationship with nature, and in the exchange of health benefits between humans and the more than human-world. 

Among these practices are sit spot, place tending, acquiring nature knowledge, and engaging the active imagination through play, creative expression, and imaginal dialogues with other-than-human beings such as animals, trees, stones, and rivers.

If only for the purpose of experiencing this practice and the deep relaxation that it can provide, I would encourage you to join a session in your local area and feel the benefits for yourself.

Thats it form me for now

Oodles of warm wishes

Maria