I keep looking outside at the rain.
It’s the third day of rain in a row.
Mind you, it’s possibly the only three days of rain we’ve had all winter!
But it means I can’t sit outside in my usual sit spot, or go for a walk.
Fortunately though nature has been coming to me today.
I’ve had visits from a pair of Magpies, a Grey Butcherbird who sang his heart out, a pair of Pale-headed Rosellas, some Rainbow Lorikeets and this cheeky King Parrot…
My husband flicked me an article recently talking about the benefits of being outside.
It’s something I’m definitely a big advocate of…
But this article made a few surprising claims.
Firstly that the great outdoors drastically improves our well-being and happiness, reduces the effects of burnout, and increases our connectedness to nature.
I don’t disagree with that at all.
It went on to say time in nature trumps traditional wellness techniques such as mindfulness, yoga and meditation.
The article was based around a Global Nature Study undertaken by AllTrails and Unyoked.
It surveyed 407 people across three countries and found two nights in nature was 50% more powerful at improving wellbeing than popular methods like mindfulness and meditation.
But surely they go hand in hand?
The main person quoted in the article is Dr. Suzanne Hackenmiller, AllTrails Chief Medical Advisor.
Turns out she’s also a certified forest therapy guide.
Forest therapy (also called forest bathing) is a mindfulness practice developed in Japan where it’s known as shinrin-yoku.
It involves being immersed in nature and using sight, smell and touch to slow down the mind and relax.
So combining being in nature and mindfulness.
Dr. Suzanne Hackenmiller explains how you can do this:
“Some simple ways to bring this into your life include pairing mindfulness techniques like body scanning (noticing tension, constriction, or discomfort in successive body parts and letting these sensations be replaced by relaxation) or breathwork with a walk or while sitting outside in your garden or a local park.”
Yep. That’s definitely combining nature and mindfulness.
I used to do some yoga classes in a park.
It felt amazing to be outside, holding a pose and watching black cockatoos fly overhead.
So my advice is (for what it’s worth) – why not reap the benefits of all of this – get outside and combine it with some mindfulness, meditation and/or yoga?
That’s got to be a win-win all round!
Here’s the article if you want to read it in full.
Ann 🙏