How to renew ourselves with Nature
By Lucie Codère
What if I tell you that, what you see is what you feel?
Human nature is an ensemble of ways of thinking, feeling and acting. Nature can refer to the general realm of living plants, animals and human beings. In this blog, we will give some tips on how to connect yourselves with nature being, finding our inner balance and reinforcing our energy towards our surroundings with nature such as living plants, family and animals. Three powerful ways to connect to your inner self for peace and harmony.
A forest bath to rekindle the inner light
Do you know sylvotherapy, or shinrin-yoku? It is sort of a preventive health cure that originated in Japan and means « take a forest bath ». There is nothing better than the energy of the forest to heal us and thus rebuild our inner light. This therapeutic practice, which offers us a kind of integral health care, is offered free of charge by the forest.
According to Japanese studies, the simple fact of walking in the forest provides us with both physical and psychological benefits. Recognized by the medical profession in Japan, this practice can be prescribed to cure patients suffering from anxiety, stress, depression and even for people with cardiovascular disease.
The health benefits are important, whether it is to treat:
• Symptom of depression
• Stress, anxiety
• Cardiovascular disease
• Boosted immune system functioning
• Improved mood
• Increased ability to focus, even in children with ADHD
• Increased energy level
• Improved sleep
The source of all these benefits comes from molecules called phytoncides, released by vegetation. And the vegetation in Quebec and Canada is perfect for this therapeutic practice, especially since pine, cedar, birch, maple and oak all release phytoncides!
How to start? Simply by walking in a forest (or a nature park in town) and being attentive to the environment, the nature around, the sound of our footsteps on the carpet of the forest. Then choose a place that inspires you, just to stimulate your five senses. Look at the colors of the forest around, the rays of sun that pierce through the tree’s branches, listen to the sound of the wind rustling the leaves of the trees, touch the bark of a tree, breathe to smell the scent of the forest, taste its freshness by inhaling deeply. Choose a particular tree, the one that inspires you. Then, place your hands around it or put your back on it, the spine accosted on its trunk and ask him to give you energy.
Close your eyes, inhale and exhale gently, take a few moments and visualize the energy of the tree dissolving your stress. Like if you stopped at an energy charging station. Take advantage of this downtime to think only of the energy that renews itself in you. You will feel the calm and happiness that the forest offers us so generously. It is our sixth sense that manifests itself, our whole being now connected to nature. You are refreshed, filled with renewed energy. Become aware and enjoy the feeling of fullness that lives in you. The pleasure grows with use, do not hesitate to renew the experience as often as possible.
Connecting with family and friends
What’s more invigorating than a day spent outdoors. Close your eyes and try to remember a day spent entirely outdoors. When I think about it, I remember; happiness and pleasure. Spending time with family outside, in my opinion reinforces the links.
Many of us favor open-air outings and activities outside the family cocoon. There is nothing better than oxygenating your brain and having fun in the open air. So why not? It is also suitable for a family event. A picnic in the heart of a green landscape, nature hikes, recreational activities in the playgrounds, yoga and/or a weekend in a family friendly resort. There is a whole list of activities for all tastes, just gather everyone’s interests and no matter the age difference. It is also an opportunity to stimulate good communication, but also to combine
pleasure and well-being.
Whether with family, friends or as a couple, doing activities in nature allows you to:
1- To rediscover your inner self and the love of your life.
In everyday life, we are so busy thinking about everything, that we forget ourselves as an individual, but we also forget ourselves as a couple. Organizing activities with our life’s partner, allows us to discuss what interests us and fall back in love and forget the daily grind.
2- Improve communications
Choosing an outdoor park, orchard or other neutral place to chat puts everyone on the same footing. Thus, no task of daily life (laundry, dishes, cleaning) to distract from communication.
3- Getting out of the daily routine
Day after day, we have our routine that allows us to follow the same rhythm and accomplish all our daily tasks. But on weekends, we do not have to follow the same routine. Why not get up on a sunny Saturday morning and improvise a family outing? This allows us to get out of our daily lives and to recover some of our innocence.
4- Strengthen family ties
Taking a walk with your family or a bike in the woods can strengthen bonds between love ones. Organizing outdoor activities, visiting tourist sites, or travelling to discover a new region with family or friends, can strengthen family ties and friendships. Why? By having new experiences with people we love, it improves many aspects of our personality. For example, learning more about Canada’s history enriches our knowledge and increases self-confidence, since we can share our knowledge with others.
5- Solve problems.
When our children invent role-playing games outside, they use what they have in their hands as play tools. This forces them to cope and solve, by themselves, the problems they face. Therefore, in everyday life, they will be ready to try before asking for help. They will solve problems more easily.
6- Reduce stress.
Spend time outdoors without having time limit, to calculate every minute of their time to get to do everything, helps to reduce stress. After a long day indoors, go outside and play games, ride a bike, or meet up with friends. Helps avoid the daily stress.
7- Clear the mind.
When you work in an office, you always have your nose in books and sometimes you can’t understand what you’re reading. In this time, it’s time to take an outdoor walk to get your mind back. Set the record straight, as they say. Allow the brain to oxygenate a little, to change the air. Sometimes, it allows you to see something you did not see before. So think about it when you have white page syndrome, go hang out with friends or family. It re-awakens your intellectual senses.
How about a bit of Zootherapy?
An apple a day may or may not actually keep the doctor away, but what about petting an animal a day?
Many of us enjoy the companionship of pets. In fact, according to a 2002 survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, 62% of American households include pets. Here’s three tips to reconnect your inner self with animals.
Did you know that animals have feelings like human beings do?
Animals fall in love, establish rules for fair play, exchange valued goods and services, hold “funerals” for
fallen comrades, deploy sex as a weapon, and communicate with one another using rich vocabularies.
Animals also get jealous and violent or greedy and callous and develop irrational phobias and prejudices,
just like us.
Did you know that they are the definition of freedom and unconditional love?
As you know, there’s always a bright side of the nature being. Animals are known to give an
unconditional love with a lot of respect, which I believe that’s what is most needed in nature. Pets see
and have what we have a hard time to manage, which is the definition of love, peace and freedom. Most people believe that we don’t deserve pets because we are selfish and cruel compared to them. What do you think?
Do pets make good teachers? Can pets also be healers?
It is known that pets do reduce people’s stress, provided the pet is behaving properly. Good interactions
do have quite a profound effect, such as, more physical activity, improved heart health, protection against allergies, empathy and caring, better social connections, better health management, causing changes in oxytocin and in beta endorphins. They say that pets make you live longer or that they make people healthier. There is not a negative effect that they can project towards humanity, but it also depends on how you treat and raise them as well, just like our own child. If you are going to show some love, they will give you much more than you think.
These animals don’t ask for much, simply just a short list of basics such as food, shelter, veterinary care, and, of course, our companionship. Pets offer far more in return, teaching us about love, improving our emotional and physical health, and providing us with unconditional affection and friendship. It is important about seeing the humanity in animals and seeing ourselves as an animal. It can allow us to be better people because we are all in one nature, planet earth. We are the nature so we are the future.