Vitamin - Nature

Nature time, Forest time, beach time, whatever you want to call it, can have a profound and amazing healing effect on us human be-ings, if we just slowed down, gave ourselves the time and space to bath and bask in those healing affects. Since Covid, there has been numerous media articles, and scientific research papers published about the positive effects of spending time in the more than human world. In fact if you Google "Forest Therapy or Bathing" you'll find articles from Some of the effects of spending time in the more than human world are -

• The Phytoncides released from the trees  which in turn helps reduce - anxiety, blood pressure, pulse rate, fatigue, confusion, depression, and anger
• Can help with SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
• Can help promote cognitive development in children
• Improves the relaxation response by helping to turn on our parasympathetic nervous system
• Can help with grief and loneliness
• Builds our relationship with the more than human world
• Can help to give us a sense of meaning and purpose in life
• Phytoncides, such as alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, that have been detected in forest air help to increase NK activity, which increases the number of NK cells that are our anti-cancer proteins/cells. They also help to decrease our stress hormones/cortisol. https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2019/07/what-is-the-relationship-between-stress-and-cancer
• Helps to give us a deeper understanding of our earth, and the issues we’re facing as a collective species with climate change, etc.
• Improves our reciprocity with the earth and more than human world
• Plus, many more.

Here are just a few links to articles on the health benefits of Forest Therapy/Bathing walking

• https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-forest-therapy-enhance-health-and-well-being-2020052919948
• https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_forest_bathing_is_good_for_your_health
• Long article but worth the read if your into all the data research https://environhealthprevmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12199-019-0822-8
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6589172/
• https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/what-is-forest-bathing

Here is a list of some great books to read on Forest Therapy/Bathing, Trees and other Forest Beings, and The More than Human World,  you can find them in local bookstores or online.

• Rewilding, Meditations, Practices, And Skills For Awakening In Nature - Micah Mortali (Kripalu Outdoor School, and instructor for Level ! Mindful Outdoor Guide)
• Your Guide to Forest Bathing, Experience the Healing Power of Nature - M. Amos Clifford (ANFT founder)
• The Japanese Art Of Shinrin Yoku Forest Bathing - Yoshifumi Miyazaki
• Walks In The Wild, A Guide Through the Forest - Peter Wohlleben