Author: Melda Baysal Walsh
The Importance of Natural and Seasonal Nurturing
With a deep appreciation for the inevitable ties between humans and nature as a system, I would like to raise an awareness for our need to connect to nature as it poses a valuable opportunity to preserve mental and physical health. When paying close attention, we might notice the need for a mind and body regulation when adapting to the changes of the seasons and I would like to advocate for the same need to be weaved into our lives as a rhythmic, cyclical routine.
Connections to nature are defined differently for each of us. Some might prefer walking barefoot on grass, some might feel revived when being in the water; some might prefer a hike in the woods, and some might feel the soothing power of nature on a walk on the beach or spending time with a pet.
- When have you asked yourself last about your connection to nature?
- What intentional actions might you be able to take towards an appreciation for nature?
- What new initiatives might thrive from this and become part of your life’s rhythmic, cyclical routines?
- How could you integrate a connection to nature into a practice of nurturing yourself, specifically during times of (re-)adjustment, and regularly during the seasonal changes?
Researchers Victorson, Luberto and Koffler (2020) emphasize the positive relationship between connecting with nature and improvements in human health, and acknowledge nature’s impact on health and well-being. They further write:
The medicinal nature of nature has been largely understood through personal experiences and the historical prism of ancestral traditions and civilizations. This includes ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Persians, Indians, and First Nation and indigenous peoples around the world. The idea that nature contact can affect our health stems back to Hippocrates’ treatise Airs, Waters, and Places. Throughout millennia, ancient societies left signs and cultural artifacts that highlighted the vast interconnectedness and interdependence they had with nature for health, healing, sustainability, survival, and spiritual affiliation.
Connecting with nature for the transactional sake of health benefit is largely a modern pursuit that is similar to what has happened with the Westernization of traditions such as yoga or meditation. Magazine covers depicting the health benefits of nature in grocery store checkout lines have already begun to rival those of calm and happy people meditating or practicing yoga. This is in contradistinction with a more traditional wisdom that nature is merely an extension of one’s body, mind, spirit, lifestyle, and ethical values. It is also hypothesized that humans may be wired with an innate affinity for meaningful contact with nature, no different from our innate fear of potential harms found in the natural world. (Victorson, Luberto and Koffler, 2020)
As I am reflecting on this quote, I am left wondering how a perception of nature as an extension of our wholeness could be of support as we are going through our own seasons, (re-)adjusting to (new) routines and living our daily rhythms. What is the story of your individual connection to nature? What might you feel inspired to reconnect with? How could you keep nature alive within you and in your surroundings?
Reference:
Victorson, D., Luberto, C., & Koffler, K. (2020). Nature as medicine: Mind, body, and soil. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 26(8), 658–662. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2020.0221
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