Movement & Nature
I like to think as the human body as a moment of nature. Successful patterns repeat themselves in nature and you can see many similarities between our tissues and systems and what you find in the natural world around us. When I do movement or anything with an aim of supporting my body and it’s capacity to heal and develop, I find that the more aligned it is with nature, the more I enjoy it and the better results I get.
For the science minded, questioners, or skeptics who have stumbled upon this, I’m see you and I’m with you. Research offers a lot of evidence of the impact of nature on our well being. Viewing images of nature let alone being in nature supports our wellbeing, can reduce our cortisol levels and stress levels. Being in nature can reduce our blood pressure, lift our moods, improve our cognitive function and boost our immune systems. And, going outside in the mornings can help to set our circadian rhythms through the relationship of light, eyes, and our brain.
When it comes to movement, there is a lot you can do to integrate nature into your physical body experiences. Absolutely, you can go for a bike ride or go for a run or walk. But you can take it further than this by:
walking barefoot to gain the benefits of earthing (the electron exchange between our bodies and surface that we come in contact with)
climb on rocks, hang from branches, step on rocks
step up onto logs, step over rocks
touch, hold and feel various items you find
notice the sounds around you like the crunching of leaves as you walk or the sound of a bird coming closer
notice the smells of the earth
If you’re moving within a space, you can bring nature into the space for your benefit:
choose nature made materials over human-made (wood versus metal, cotton versus polyester, cork mats versus plastic)
use rocks instead of weights
step on rocks instead of plastic prickly balls
use wooden bars instead of metal
incorporate a rock box into your practice
As always, choose one and notice the impacts. Try yourself and see what you think!
Various references for more context and information:
Oschman, J. L., Chevalier, G., & Brown, R. (2015). The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Journal of inflammation research, 8, 83–96. https://doi.org/10.2147/JIR.S69656
Bratman, G. N., Anderson, C. B., Berman, M. G., Cochran, B., de Vries, S., Flanders, J., Folke, C., Frumkin, H., Gross, J. J., Hartig, T., Kahn, P. H., Jr, Kuo, M., Lawler, J. J., Levin, P. S., Lindahl, T., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., Mitchell, R., Ouyang, Z., Roe, J., Scarlett, L., … Daily, G. C. (2019). Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective. Science advances, 5(7), eaax0903. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax0903
Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., & Daily, G. C. (2012). The impacts of nature experience on human cognitive function and mental health. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1249, 118–136. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06400.x
Bratman, G. N., Bembibre, C., Daily, G. C., Doty, R. L., Hummel, T., Jacobs, L. F., Kahn, P. H., Jr, Lashus, C., Majid, A., Miller, J. D., Oleszkiewicz, A., Olvera-Alvarez, H., Parma, V., Riederer, A. M., Sieber, N. L., Williams, J., Xiao, J., Yu, C. P., & Spengler, J. D. (2024). Nature and human well-being: The olfactory pathway. Science advances, 10(20), eadn3028. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adn3028
Kondo, M. C., Jacoby, S. F., & South, E. C. (2018). Does spending time outdoors reduce stress? A review of real-time stress response to outdoor environments. Health & place, 51, 136–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.03.001