Here at Nature Way we offer a number of ways to reconnect to Nature:
- Foraging and nature connection workshops
- Nature connection meditation days
- Nature connection walkabouts
‘A heartfelt feeling that transcends the mind becoming part of the body, you need to speak to the heart to change the mind’ Dr Miles Holmes
Nature connection is a heart based relationship. Rather than being 100% academic & knowledge focused – nature connection is much more about having meaningful experiences with nature that actually improve the health, happiness & intelligence of participants.
Reconnect
Stop for a moment. Take a deep breath. Maybe close your eyes for just a few moments and reflect, think to a time when you were in nature that you enjoyed, where was it? What where you doing? Is it the emotions of how you felt that you recall or is the intellectual information you gained from being in nature? I always find this a really interesting reflection practice and so often for me it’s been an emotional memory or at times sensuous.
Nature connection ignites our senses, our emotions and allows us to feel into a deep connection that has been with mankind since the beginning of humanity. It seems some cultures, particularly indigenous peoples have kept this deep relationship and connection with nature as part of their daily existence. Humans have long intuited that being in nature is good for the mind and body.
Richard Louv, the author of ‘The last child in the woods’ and ‘The nature Principal’ came up with the phrase ‘Nature-deficit disorder’. This is the idea that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors, and the belief that this change results in a wide range of behavioural problems. It is not meant to be a medical diagnosis (although perhaps it should be).
After reading and exploring the works of Richard Louv and the ever inspiring nature connection mentor Jon Young. I knew nature connection was something I wanted to explore deeper, for my own personal journey as well as with groups I work with, Children, teens and adults.
A sit spot is often a popular feature on workshop days.
One of the practices I have found extremely beneficial is ‘a sit spot’. A sit spot is a place in nature that you visit every day for a period of time, anything from 10-30 minutes, through all seasons. It is simple yet to me profoundly effective way to get tuned into your senses, emotions, connection to place, elements and the many plants and animals that you begin to notice in far more detail.
My passion for nature connection lies not only in my passion for nature but also with my awareness to a rapidly changing time in terms of technology v’s nature. I feel it’s a hugely important time to encourage the engagement in and with nature.
Jon Young speaks of how culturally we don’t have connection anymore. Connection requires a perceived sense of timelessness and an unsupervised experimentation. The nervous systems needs to believe that its unsupervised and timeless.
One way in which I have found a deep connection in nature has been through working with the plant kingdom. Both cultivating and foraging for wild plants has allowed a depth into my connection to nature. I feel a deep sense of connection to each plant and its unique characteristics. I also love to explore the medicinal and nutritional value of these plants. I love the idea that by eating and drinking wild plants we infuse our DNA with a little more ‘Wildness’ each time. Not only connecting to our ancestors but also with the landscapes around us.
