.......take one spoonful 2X day

Yogis,

A friend sent me a link to a National Geographic article that she thought I would find interesting. The article discusses the current scientific research being done on the effects of nature on the mind. The hypothesis being that walking in the woods, sitting near creeks and rivers, watching the sunset and spending time surrounded by greenery decreases the stress levels in the body.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/01/call-to-wild/

Multiple studies are being conducted which measure brain waves before and after various nature experiences.  What they are finding is that cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate all drop when we venture out of the confines of the house or office into a park, peel our eyes away from the phone screen and instead land them on a butterfly, or leave the hustle bustle of the city and head into the hush of the forest. 

With our current epidemic of stress and inflammation based illnesses we need a new approach. Thank goodness they are doing these studies! We live in a world where once something is ‘proven’ scientifically people begin to listen, so it is important to have the scientists and doctors on board. More articles and more discussion mean more people will hear the results and perhaps make changes in their habits. If this new data increases the average time spent outdoors each day from below 5% (less than time in the car) to even 10%, that would be amazing.

But I will admit that I am chuckling on the inside. Spending grant money and investing time in studying if nature is a calming influence seems to me like having our newest brightest researchers running studies to prove that the sun comes up every morning.  To nature lovers this is self-evident and always has been. Even fifteen minutes outside being still and quiet changes everything in my day. What happens out there is often the most real thing I touch.

It's easy to put the outdoors on the back burner. Traffic, emails, Facebook and television all have us seemingly chained to our chairs and before we know it, its time for bed. Air-conditioning holds us back from even opening the windows to bring nature in. And as the article points out, nature can’t be put into a pill. The prescriptions must change.

I realize now that many of my recent blog posts have been just that – prescriptions! Going barefoot, listening to the bees, spending time with trees and beachcombing. Over the past year I have been naming much of what I teach as ‘Earth Medicine’, so perhaps I am ahead of the game. 

If you knew that nature would heal what ails you, would you re-prioritize your day?

Next time you head toward your medicine chest to grab a pill, consider instead stepping out the door and taking a spoonful of earth medicine.  Still plenty of side effects……but all good.  And did I mention it’s free?

Heading outside,
SARAH