The Healing Value of Spending Time in Nature

FEBRUARY, 2021

By Charlotte Mostert

Being in Nature has so many benefits for us. Something profound that Friedrich Nietzsche once said is, “We like to be out in nature so much because it has no opinion on us.” Remember that there is always value in spending time in nature to heal. Even if you are alone you are never truly alone when in nature.

Read the blog post below to pocket some harmonious ways to indulge in nature’s healing capabilities.

1. The Science of Grounding:

The ground is a magical force of life. It not only provides us with scrumptious food and a surface to live upon, but it also has an abundance of electrons flowing through it. When humans stand barefoot on the ground the electrons will flow through us and one’s body synchronises with the natural frequencies of the Earth, creating the phenomenon called ‘grounding’.

2. Gardening reduces the feeling of isolation:

With COVID we are more isolated than ever before but do not fret, gardening is here as a tool to help ease it. In a recent study, psychiatric unit researchers found that being in nature reduced feelings of isolation, promotes calmness, and lifts moods amongst patients. Now is the perfect time to get your green fingers digging and planting. If you are based in Cape Town you can come to join the Greenpop team at the Eco-Education Hub on Tuesdays and help us flourish our garden that will help greenify many areas for years to come.

3. Forest Bathing:

In the 1980s the term emerged in Japan as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku which translates to “forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”. This practice was adopted to offer an environmentally focused antidote to technology burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with

This is not exercise, it is simply connecting with nature, through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. See it as a bridge, where Shinrin-yoku is connecting us to the natural world. It is speculated that when the aerosols from the forests are inhaled there is an increase of Natural Killer (NK) cells in the immune system, which fight tumors and infections.
One can even join a guided forest bathing meditation in the Kitich Forest Camp, Kenya, led by local Samburu trackers. It is home to ancient forests that hold endemic plants, cedars, wild orchids, more than 350 bird species, elephants, and one of the only populations of de Brazza monkeys in the country

Planting trees has always been of value to society, but now more than ever is it the best time to plant one. Even here at Greenpop, we are planting trees where you can help by donating to Trees for Fees and contribute to creating another beautiful forest that will benefit the planet and all living beings.

4. Sunlight can help reduce Melatonin

Being outdoors provides the benefits of natural sunlight, where one’s body can absorb Vitamin D, whereas melatonin synthesis by the pineal gland occurs primarily at night, and exposure to blue light activates it. It is possible that increasing vitamin D levels during the day may play a part, as a signal that stabalises melatonin generation.

Come join the Greenpop team, set aside the tech for a while, and being completely immersed in nature with your daily recommended about of sunlight at the Eden Festival of Action!

5. Soil the foundation of our health

Dr. Zack Bush once said, “Your plants are only going to be as successful as your soil.”. Just as importantly, your body can only be as healthy as your gut system.

Soil is the root system of all our cellular health. We are biophotonic biology, through our body creating electrons out of food. Where the foods will create the electron density of the amount of electron energy based on its own nutrient density and microbiome vitality. This is why permaculture is vital to the longevity of a healthy and sustainable food cycle, and human existence.

Increasing biodiversity and spending more time in nature will expose us to more microbes. This will increase our ability to fight off different diseases and viruses we may come in contact with and lead to better guy health. The gut microbiome is important, and that it generally is representative of what our macrobiome looks like.

Now that you have all this knowledge, go tree-t yourself to some quality time in nature and root yourself into the abundance of goodness that it has to offer us all. Plant a vegetable garden, go swim in the ocean, run barefoot on the open soil, or meditate in the sunshine. But ensure you do it with jubilation.