#Shinrin-Yoku Tips

[anielskaaniela]

Healing Power of Shinrin-Yoku: Explore Forest Bathing

In this post , you will learn on Shinrin-yoku – forest bathing. Check out my japanese products [here]. In today’s fast-paced world, finding moments of peace and connection with nature is increasingly important. Shinrin-Yoku, or forest bathing, is a practice that goes beyond just walking in the woods. It’s about immersing oneself in the forest atmosphere and mindfully engaging with the natural…

[livelearnlondon]

7 JAPANESE TECHNIQUES TO OVERCOME LAZINESS

1. Kaizen

Making small improvements

Kaizen refers to focusing on small improvements, every day. Aiming to become 1% better each day rather than striving for perfection from the outset. Kaizen encourages making small, achievable goals and slow gains.

Try this: Incorporate the philosophy of Kaizen in your life by making your bed before you leave your bedroom in the morning. A small practice that is encouraged for mental wellbeing, it doesn’t need to be hotel-perfect but can make a surprising difference to your sense of wellness and accomplishment. You’ll thank yourself for your small improvement when you revisit your bedroom come evening.

2. Shinrin-Yoku

The art of Forest Bathing

Made up of two words, shinrin (forest) and yoku (bath), it’s the practice of spending time outdoors with nature. According to the makers of Japanese-inspired bathing line, Earl Of East, “taking in the forest atmosphere is proven to lower heart rate, reduce stress, and improve your immune system.” In fact, spending mindful time in nature has a multitude of benefits for the mind, body and soul.

Tip: Practicing the art of Forest Bathing needn’t be an all-day event in a forest landscape. Get creative! Courtyards, community gardens – even rooftops – can be the perfect place to embrace this technique. Forest bathing can be practiced anywhere you can be immersed in nature. Need a visual cue? Picture the tranquil Akasawa forest of Nagano; densely populated with centuries-old Japanese cypress trees and gentle running streams.

3. Ikigai

Your reason for being

Ikigai means having a purpose; your reason for being. Made up of two words; Iki means life and Gai describes your value or worth. It’s the reason you wake up each morning and what drives you.

The 4 rules of IKIGAI

1. Do what you love

2. Do what you’re good at

3. Do what the world needs

4. Do what you can be paid for

4. Wabi Sabi

Beauty in imperfection

The concept of wabi-sabi is that rather than perfection, one should find beauty in imperfection. You might have seen wabi-sabi in beautiful Japanese ceramics with fine cracks that are filled with gold to highlight the beauty in their imperfect nature. Forget the idea of flaws and faults, and embrace the imperfect details of your self, body, past and present.

5. Shoshin

A beginner mindset

Shoshin is a concept from Zen Buddhism that involves approaching things with a beginner’s mindset.

“If your mind is empty…it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” – Shunryn Suzuki (author of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind).

Try starting a task or new goal with this concept in mind; a fresh outlook and unbiased perspective. You may be surprised how your mind welcomes new ideas!

6. Hara Hachi Bu

Satisfied, not full

This technique is the practical concept of stopping eating when you’re 80% full, rather than 100%. It’s based on the idea that if you eat too much, you’re more likely to feel lazy or sluggish. We adapt it to meaning being mindful with food choices and quantities and seeking out foods that support energy during the day and restful, calm in the evenings.

7. Ganbaru

Doing your best

This means that one should be patient and do the best possible. It may be interpreted as persistence or tenacity and is all about keeping going through tough times with perseverance to accomplish your goal.

[voraxiia]

[ CHIN ]:          as they stand close to one another, the sender hooks a finger and tenderly lifts the receiver’s chin, tilting it up so that they can look at one another, and running a thumb across their skin lightly. ( fuyumi & seo-jun )

+ do you want to tell me the truth , this time ? ( fuyumi & seo-jun )

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ❝ㅤ ...ㅤ ❞ㅤ for a moment , fuyumi remained silent , subtly biting the inside of his cheek as he averted his gaze from the proximity of seo-jun’s . even if it meant he had to set eyes back on the evidence against him , staring through the footage just so he didn’t have to look at the other man . him and the innocent rowdy runts who had always followed him around back in the Kitagumi , his brothers -- during better times . 

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ he had , by old habit , let his guard down when they insisted him over for a round of drinks , before tailing him all the way into shinrin-yoku turf . the consequence of it was one major botched deal , an altercation tipping the power struggle between clans into further precarious imbalance , and without a doubt , another inevitable thorn he had planted into the man before him -- a predicament he threw himself into , yes , but it didn’t fail to leave a bad taste in his mouth .

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ the thought of his own hands tearing down the other man’s generosity and nothing but warm intentions towards himself , it caused a sure pang in him that was impossible to ignore , guilt taking over his features despite himself , the instant seo-jun hooked a finger under his chin to force -- persuade -- fuyumi to look at him .

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ this stupid , undeserved faith in him that remained , that he watched himself continue to chip away little by little . perhaps he wouldn’t have wavered as much if seo-jun’s thumb gently stroking his cheek as he waited for an explanation was the cold edge of a knife . 

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ❝ㅤ ... i promise you , i had nothing to do with it .ㅤ ❞ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ // ﹙ 𖹭 ﹚

[rockislandadultreads]

A Guide to Zen & Mindfulness: Spiritual Book Picks

Find these titles on Hoopla with your local library card

Wabi Sabi by Nobuo Suzuki

The Wisdom in Imperfection

Be the best imperfect person you can be!

Wabi Sabi is the Japanese Zen philosophy that all things are imperfect, unfinished and impermanent. It is a fresh way of seeing and moving through the world when our lives, literally and figuratively, feel cluttered. This book shows us how to apply this concept in the context of daily life and offers ideas on how to see it, embrace it and incorporate it into everyday thoughts, objects and situations.

In a simple and accessible style, Wabi Sabi: The Wisdom in Imperfection shows you how embracing imperfections and impermanence frees you to become a better person, by reevaluating what "better" means-what really matters and what you truly want. A few simple challenges and exercises encourage you to get creative-such as a Wabi Sabi diary, a haiku exercise and a "make art" challenge-plus some tips on minimizing and decluttering (mentally and physically) for a simpler life. It allows you to mindfully make space in your head, home and with your time.

Your Guide To Forest Bathing by M. Amos Clifford

An expanded edition of our bestselling guide to forest bathing with a new section of hands-on forest bathing practices and space for journal entries and reflections.

Simply being present in the natural world, with all of our senses fully alive, can have a remarkably healing effect. It can also awaken in us our latent but profound connection with all living things. This is "forest bathing," a practice inspired by the Japanese tradition of shinrin-yoku. It is a gentle, meditative approach to being with nature and an antidote to our nature-starved lives that can heal our relationship with the more-than-human world. In Your Guide to Forest Bathing, you'll discover a path that you can use to begin a practice of your own that includes specific activities presented by Amos Clifford, one of the world's most experienced forest bathing experts. Whether you're in a forest or woodland, public park, or just your own backyard, this book will be your personal guide as you explore the natural world in a way you may have never thought possible.

Sunrise Gratitude by Emily Silva

Start every day with Sunrise Gratitude, a collection of 365 guided meditations accompanied by lush illustrations and photographs of nature that will guide your mind to a place of calm awareness and purpose—the perfect companion to Moonlight Gratitude.

As the sun rises, it can be hard to motivate yourself to wake up and start your busy schedule, but with this gorgeous book you'll learn to heighten your awareness, so you start the day feeling refreshed and ready to be your best self.

Sunrise Gratitude will naturally calm your thinking as you learn to understand your mind in the morning for a tranquil daily routine. You’ll wake up with a peaceful, purposeful mindset—ideal for when you need a little pick me up to make you feel ready to take on the day.

Senbazuru by Michael James Wong

Fold your way to happiness through the inspiring philosophy of Senbazuru-the tradition of folding one thousand paper cranes-with a leading voice in the global mindfulness movement as your guide.

In Japan, the paper crane is a symbol of peace, hope, and healing. It is considered the "bird of happiness," a mystical and majestic creature that according to myth can live for a thousand years. Tradition has it that if a person were to fold one thousand paper cranes in a single year, they would be gifted one special wish that would grant long life, healing from illness or injury, and eternal happiness. The tradition of folding one thousand paper cranes is called Senbazuru ("sen" meaning "one thousand" and "orizuru" meaning "paper crane"). In this book, renowned yoga and meditation teacher Michael James Wong brings Senbazuru to life as an inspiring philosophy that encourages slowing down and taking many small steps on our own personal path. This is a book of small steps and gentle wisdoms to heal your soul and help you find your own path to happiness.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Arianne Clément 

* * * * 

The Art Of Aging

BY SPARROW • APRIL 2017

As you read this essay, you are aging. The older you get, the more you become an emissary from a vanished world — in my case, a world of black-and-white photographs taken by a Brownie camera, the sun bleaching the faces of the squinting subjects.

What is your strategy for getting older? Follow these handy tips, and time will be your ally.

LEARN TO FAIL Most of us attempt to get better at our hobbies and careers. We want to improve as tennis players, as firefighters, as sushi chefs. But we forget that failure is also a talent — often a more adaptive talent than success. Life is mainly a series of defeats that usually catch us unawares. But if you willfully undertake projects at which you’re destined to fail — designing a solar-powered rocket ship, for example — you’ll develop the strength necessary to live for years and years and years. So choose a task you’ll never do well, and start trying. (Possibly, just by dumb luck, you’ll build a solar-powered rocket ship.)

DO EVERYTHING AS SLOWLY AS POSSIBLE In a novel whose title I’m too old to remember, a character believed he would live longer by doing tedious, repetitive tasks, like taking apart a radio and putting it back together. Try this yourself. For example, when you leave the bathtub, dry yourself so slowly that most of the water just evaporates. If you live slowly enough, one hour becomes two.

REMEMBER: MIRACLES ARE REAL Every year more than 1,600 medical miracles are recorded in Canada alone. (I invented this statistic, but it could be true.) Cancer sufferers are suddenly cured; arthritis disappears. Do these miracles come from God? No one knows. The point is: never lose hope.

TAKE NAPS Napping is an art, like ceramics. A great nap can reinvent a day. You awake to clearer, fresher air — happier air. And old people are allowed to nap. In fact, it’s considered a virtue.

HAVE TEA WITH FRIENDS Coffee is for chatting; tea is for real talk. (Coffee suggests a “coffee break” — a rushed, finite time. Tea is timeless.)

ASK FOR HELP All of us need assistance, and as we age, we need more of it. By the time you’re seventy-nine, you’ll need more friends than ever. So start asking for help — with cooking, folding towels, dog grooming. Ask young people, but also ask the aged, even people older than yourself. (Three hundred octogenarians can lift a car easily, if they act together.)

I have a friend — I’ll call him Portsmouth Pete — who in his youth would ask every single woman at a party to have sex with him. More often than you’d expect, one would say yes. (His ratio of success was approximately 1 in 26.) Once you are aged, you need the same spirit of blithe request. Who knows why people might wish to help you? Perhaps their guru told them to. Perhaps they’re incredibly bored, or they’re plagued by guilt because they recently robbed a bank. In any case, there’s no harm in asking. And don’t be bitter if they say no. Notice whether this 1:26 ratio holds true in old age, too.

TAKE WALKS IN THE WOODS The Japanese have a word for a nature walk: shinrin-yoku, which translates as “forest bathing.” Scientific studies show that forest bathing reduces stress, anger, insomnia, and anxiety. (Really.) Find a nearby — or distant — forest, and go for a hike. The best weather is a light mist, just less than a drizzle, when the leaves sparkle with quasi-sexual alertness.

WEAR IRONIC CLOTHES Once you are older than fifty, it’s perfectly acceptable to wear a shirt with pictures of large toucans on it. You may wear a necktie if you’re a woman or a tiara if you’re a man. Your clothing says: “At my age I can dress as absurdly as I like. The rigid Laws of Fashion no longer confine me.”

WRITE POEMS ABOUT GROWING OLDER Here is one of mine:

Time Traveler

I’m a time traveler: I’ve traveled from 1953 to 2017.

GO TOO FAR If you’re walking from the bathroom to the kitchen, walk a little farther, to the vestibule; then turn around — or maybe spin around — and proceed to the kitchen. Over the course of six months this extra walking adds 12 percent to your muscle tone. (I invented this statistic, too.)

STOP WORRYING ABOUT BECOMING FAMOUS Until you’re twenty-four, there’s a chance you’ll be a celebrity, even if you’re completely talentless, but as the years go on, that possibility diminishes. By the time you’re seventy-one, it’s infinitesimal. Also, you’ve lost touch with the inner circle of pop culture. You open People magazine, and you’ve never even heard of any of the stars. (OK, maybe two out of eighty.) There’s a whole new pantheon of harmless-looking people with interchangeable names like Ryan Fletcher and Owen Basil, as mysterious as Polynesian deities. Besides, you’re already famous in your neighborhood, or in your occupation — known as a trustworthy orthodontist in northern Long Island or an excellent social worker in Arkansas — and that’s good enough. Instead root for one of your grandchildren to become world-famous.

STUDY ZEN KOANS The older I get, the more I admire Zen Buddhism. When I was a teenager, I’d read a koan like this and be completely baffled:

Pick up a stone deep in the ocean with dry hands.

After I turned fifty-five, such paradoxes began to make sense. There’s an essential duality to the nature of life — between what I want and what I can achieve — that is beginning to penetrate my thick skull. I have even, at stray moments, heard the sound of one hand clapping while walking in a forest, or in downtown St. Louis. I’m not exactly a Zen Buddhist; I’m just old, which is almost the same thing.

REMEMBER: YOU’RE MOVING THROUGH SPACE AS WELL AS TIME Calculate as best you can how far you’ve traveled across the earth’s surface. Instead of saying, “I am seventy-eight years old,” say, “I am 620,000 miles old.”

MAKE A LIST OF YOUR FAILINGS Here are some of mine:

I have a terrible memory.

I have no mechanical ability — for example, I could never fix a toaster.

I’m lazy.

I’m a slow reader.

I dress like a slob.

I never remember anyone’s birthday.

I’m narcissistic.

I’m a poor swimmer.

I’m unskilled in etiquette.

I dislike Christmas.

Post the list on your refrigerator, and consult it daily. How will you improve if you don’t honestly assess yourself?

STAND UP FOR YOUR BELIEFS There’s nothing like a ninety-three-year-old at an antiracism rally to bring tears to everyone’s eyes. Be that person.

GROW WISE Most experts on aging advise “staying young,” but that’s nonsense. The youthful are young; it’s their talent. The aged should instead grow deep in wisdom.

How do you become wise? I have no idea.

[paleorecipecookbook]

The Top Health Benefits of Green Space

The health benefits of having access to “green space”—from dense forests, fields, and lush parks to simple garden spaces, tree-lined streets, or a humble backyard—are well documented in scientific literature. This shouldn’t come as a surprise given that, as humans, we evolved in nature for most of our species’ existence. If we want to experience vibrant health and well-being, we need to step away from our screens and reestablish that ancestral connection. Keep reading for a look at the latest research, plus great ways to increase your exposure to the great outdoors.

Spending time outdoors in green space can have a beneficial impact on your immune system and overall health. Check out this article to find out how, and get three tips on how to spend more time in nature. #optimalhealth #healthylifestyle #chriskresser

An Ancestral Perspective: Going Green Is as Old as Time

You might be asking, how could being in nature be so essential to wellness? The simplest answer: it’s in our DNA. For hundreds of thousands of generations, human beings lived, worked, ate, played, and slept outdoors in the most lush, verdant natural environments they could find. Never before in our history have we spent as little time in contact with plants and animals as we do today. And as you’ll come to learn, our health is suffering as a result.

Just as we didn’t evolve to eat an industrialized diet full of processed and refined foods, we also didn’t evolve to live lives disconnected from nature.

In the 1990s, scientist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author E. O. Wilson labeled this concept—that humans have an innate affinity for the natural world—the “biophilia hypothesis.” Since then, his theory has been supported by a wealth of clinical evidence.

Of course, he couldn’t have known exactly how technology would develop—that it would, in effect, replace the elemental need to connect with nature with an altogether different need (an addiction, for some)—to be wired and plugged in, 24/7. Journalist Richard Louv hit on this in his book Last Child in the Woods. He introduced the idea of “nature-deficit disorder,” a term that applies to children and adults alike who stare at screens instead of playing outside. This leads to a whole host of consequences. Fortunately, turning that deficit into an abundance can mean big health benefits.

Three Big Health Benefits of Green Space

I’ve isolated these benefits in order to highlight specific research, but keep in mind that all of these impacts on health also work together synergistically to improve well-being. For example, reducing your stress shores up your immune system, while robust immunity means less disease, which confers longevity, and so on.

1. Green Space Strengthens Your Immune System

Nature boosts our natural immunity, and some of the best proof here (along with research to back it up) comes from Japan. There, many citizens regularly participate in shinrin-yoku, a practice that translates as “forest bathing.” These leisurely visits to the forest increase the activity of natural killer (NK) cells, a component of the immune system that helps the body fend off tumors and viruses.

In one study, subjects took a three-day/two-night trip to the forest. Researchers collected blood and urine samples from the participants on days two and three of the trip and on days seven and 30 after the trip. They collected the same measurements on normal working days as well to act as controls. Not only was NK activity significantly higher on forest-bathing days, but the increase in activity, along with an increase in the number of NK cells, remained long after the trip was over—30 days after. To further pinpoint nature’s effects versus, say, time away from work, the researchers also had participants take trips to the city, which did not increase NK action. (1)

Phytoncides, essential wood oils emitted by plants and trees, seem to be responsible for the effect on NK activity. (2) Sunlight also appears to regulate immune function: exposure reduces the risk for autoimmune diseases, particularly multiple sclerosis. (3, 4)

2. It Boosts Your Mood

In general, exposure to nature is correlated with greater life satisfaction. (5) More specifically, research has also connected green space to reduced stress and incidences of depression and anxiety.

In a study of more than 11,000 adults from Denmark, researchers found that participants who lived more than roughly half a mile away from green space were 42 percent more likely to report high stress levels than those who lived closer to green space. (6) Interestingly, a similar study suggests that green space acts as a buffer to stress’s detrimental effects on the mind and body: participants who had recently experienced major life stressors, such as financial difficulties or relationship problems, but who had more green space in a certain radius around their home had fewer health complaints than their peers who also faced stressors but had less green space nearby. (7) One possible explanation? Green space appears to modulate our stress hormones; in particular, it lowers cortisol levels. (8, 9) Chronically high cortisol levels can have far-reaching impacts on health, including brain damage.

Recently, researchers at the University of Washington evaluated pairs of twins and found that the twin who lived among denser vegetation had a lower risk of depression. (10) An older study out of the Netherlands found that people with only 10 percent green space in a close radius around their home had a 25 percent greater risk of depression and 30 percent greater risk of anxiety disorders when compared to those with the greatest amount of green space in the same radius around their house. (11)

3. It Helps You Live Longer

Research conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, and China have found that people who live in the greenest areas have a reduced risk of mortality from all causes, as well as a reduced risk of mortality due to kidney disease, respiratory disease, cancer, and stroke. (12, 13, 14, 15)

How Green Space Reduces Your Risks of Developing Chronic Diseases—Even Cancer

In the same Dutch study I mentioned above, researchers found the annual prevalence rate of 15 of the top 24 diseases to be lowest amongst those living in the greenest environments. (16)

These results may be in part attributable to sunlight. As I’ve shared before, vitamin D deficiency is implicated in at least 17 types of cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and the list goes on.

It May Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes

While it’s possible that green space makes people more willing to exercise—helping them in that way to maintain a healthy weight and reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes—some studies suggest that something else is at play. (17) For example, in one Japanese study, participants’ blood glucose levels dropped after a session of forest bathing, an effect found independent of the distance they walked during their time outside. (18) In a 2016 study, people living in neighborhoods with the greatest amount of green space had a 19 percent reduced risk of developing diabetes than those in the least green areas, regardless of their age, sex, socioeconomic status, family history, and, importantly, BMI. (19)

It Improves Your Cardiovascular Health

Spending time in nature lowers blood pressure and pulse rate and increases heart rate variability, a marker more and more experts are looking to as an indicator of health and resilience. (20, 21, 22) There’s also a connection between increased exposure to green space and a lower incidence of coronary heart disease. (23)

Green Space Can Help Your Body Fight Cancer

Remember those NK cells I mentioned earlier? They have the power to kill tumor cells by releasing anti-cancer proteins, which forest-bathing has been shown to increase, along with the number and activity of the NK cells themselves. (24) Indeed, when Japanese researchers compared data on forest coverage across the country with national cancer data, they found lower rates of lung, breast, and uterine cancers in women and prostate, kidney, and colon cancers in men who lived in areas with higher forest coverage, a fact that remained even after factoring in smoking and socioeconomic status. (25)

It Protects against Alzheimer's Disease

Green space may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s. Higher levels of residential greenness are correlated with a slower rate of cognitive decline later in life. (26, 27) Green space also improves overall cognition. (28, 29, 30)

Three Easy Ways to Get More Exposure to Green Space

Even if you’re convinced that you need to get outside more, it’s not always simple to do. You may not have wooded hiking trails at your doorstep, or your schedule may feel too jam-packed for a leisurely “forest bath.” You might live in a densely populated city in a high-rise apartment, with no common green space. Or you may live in a community where cars have taken over and sidewalks have lost ground to widening roadways. Maybe you think it’s too cold or too hot, too rainy or too snowy.

Just remember, wherever you live and no matter how busy you are (or uncooperative the weather may be), you can green up your days.

Here are three simple ways to get out there.

1. Take Your Exercise Outside

Go for a walk at your local park (wear layers and a hat if it’s cold, or sweat-wicking fabrics if it’s hot) rather than plugging away on the treadmill in your fluorescent-lit gym. Take advantage of mild days and move your workout routine into nature, especially if it’s sunny. Even if you’re in an urban environment and can only hit the sidewalk, you’ll still get much-needed sunshine. People who work out outside tend to exercise more, and that outdoor exercise may even confer greater physical and mental benefits than exercise indoors. (31, 32)

2. Bring the Outdoors In

Just being around potted house plants can improve memory recall, minimize health complaints and discomfort, and reduce anxiety. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can find low-maintenance varieties of ivy and cactus. Grow a container herb garden on your windowsill. If it’s midwinter, try forcing some bulbs like paperwhites and enjoy an early glimpse of spring. Or fill a vase with some local fresh flowers and greenery. (33, 34, 35, 36)

3. Limit Screen Time (Yours and Your Children’s)

Researchers point the finger at screen time as a culprit for our spending less time outdoors, especially for children. (37, 38) Take a digital detox and you might just free up enough time for a big hike, family camping trip, or nice long forest bath after all.

How often do you spend time outdoors? Have you noticed any benefits to spending time in green space? Let me know below in the comments!

The post The Top Health Benefits of Green Space appeared first on Chris Kresser.

Source: http://chriskresser.com January 16, 2019 at 03:49PM

[jdenvs3000-2018-blog]

Neature Walks: Ethnobotany

I’ve chosen to discuss the ethnobotany walk that was presented by Group 2 in the Arboretum. I found this walk was particularly well-done and was presented in an effective manner. I also thought that the topic was a great choice given the course material and reflected a lot on how nature can be useful for humans. The three gifts that I noticed within the walk were the gifts of beauty, story, and targeted programs.

The grasslands of Brooks, Alberta (2018). I’ve often found myself fully-immersed in the beauty of this landscape and the organisms it harbours.

Gift of beauty

I thought that including the idea of shinrin-yoku in this program was a great idea, and this was my favourite part of the walk! I have participated in many forms of nature bathing, but I’ve never had it explained through a cultural sense, mainly just as a spiritual experience, which was a great switch-up for me! I think the mini nature bath that Katharine lead was a great way to bring everything we learned together. I think this activity highlighted the true beauty of nature, especially in terms of the whole-bodied experience of it.

Gift of story

The gift of story was exceptionally emphasized in Justine’s presentation about maple trees and syrup. She reflected on her personal experience making maple syrup with her family, suggesting that this is a simple method through which we can all participate in and appreciate nature. She also walked us through the process of tapping a tree and turning the sap into syrup, and she explained this in a way that was easy to understand. It was as if her entire presentation as all one big story, from her recounting her experience and identifying the process that makes maple syrup, everything was well-connected and relevant to her topic.

The flower of the plains prickly pear cactus (Opuntia polyacantha) in Brooks, Alberta (2018). A common plant I would encounter during the summer. 

Gift of targeted programs

The presentation on wild carrot reflected the gift of targeted programs well. This presentation allowed the audience to participate in choosing between two plants that appear very similar, one being poisonous (water hemlock) and one being edible (wild carrot). This allowed the audience to put their skills to the test and then learn about some identification tips and more information about wild carrot. This presentation served as a great introduction to identifying wild plants and using them for sustenance. 

Since this walk was well-executed, there are very few suggestions I can offer for improvement. I think the gift of targeted programs could have been a bit better developed by using a mounted specimen from the herbarium to show the plants rather than a picture on a laptop. I only suggest this because it can be difficult to interpret size or scale from an image, and an actual specimen would have solved this issue. This would make it easier to distinguish between wild carrot and water hemlock, since water hemlock is taller and has a larger inflorescence than wild carrot. Also, presenting an actual specimen rather than an image would have been more immersive for the activity. Perhaps even introducing other common plants and how to identify them would have been appropriate here as well. 

Overall, this walk was well-planned and presented some interesting information about ethnobotany. This walk was probably my favourite and the most memorable out of all of the walks on Saturday, so I’m glad that I had the opportunity to participate!

[letsjanukhan]

5 self-care tips from around the world, from forest bathing to face tapping

5 self-care tips from around the world, from forest bathing to face tapping

Setting aside time to dedicate to yourself can be easier said than done. But if you’re looking for an incentive to practise self-care, why not take inspiration from some other countries? From Japan to Sweden these places often have simple wellness tips built into their everyday culture�� 1. Japan: Go forest bathing Known as ‘shinrin-yoku’, forest bathing is all about communing with nature. Don’t…

[yestakeahike-blog]

How Forest Bathing & Hiking Can Benefit You.

First and foremost, you’re probably wondering: what is forest bathing?  Its true name is shinrin-yoku, which is Japanese. Shinrin translates to “forest,” and yoku translates to “bath.” Therefore, shinrin-yoku literally means bathing in the forest. It is not hiking or any sort of exercise; it is simply just connecting with nature.  Forest bathing is a natural medicine.  Forest bathing was developed in the 1980s and has been proven to have positive effects on the cardiovascular and metabolic health of individuals. 

Time outlines the different ways to let the forest in. This includes utilizing the five senses, and letting “nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet.” Some of the ways that you can practice forest bathing include; laying down on the ground, touching trees or plants, smelling the forest aroma, or listening to the sounds of the different creatures living there.  How you decide to connect with nature and which sense or senses brings you the closest to nature will differ for every person. Check out this video for a quick tutorial.

Shinrin-yoku is so simple; all you really need is time and trees. However, this simple act has been proven to have many health benefits. These include:

Boosted immune system functioning

Reduced blood pressure

Reduced stress

Improved mood

Increased ability to focus

Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness

Increased energy level

Improved sleep

In addition to these awesome benefits, those that practice daily have also found that they experience additional benefits such as:

Deeper and clearer intuition

Increased flow of energy

Increased capacity to communicate with the land and its species

Overall increase in sense of happiness 

Deepening of friendships

For more information on these benefits and the additional benefits from daily practice read more at the shinrin-yoku website. 

PC: pixabay.com

Obviously, forest bathing isn’t hiking, but I think it is important to point out the health benefits that we can get from just going outside and soaking it all in. The UN estimates that by 2030 60% of people globally will live in urban centers. The EPA reports that people spend about 90% of their time indoors. The busy schedule of American’s has been shown to have increased stress. These statistics aren’t something that we should take lightly; especially if something as easy as going outside can make an impact on our stress levels and our mental health. 

In addition to increased time spent inside and increased rates of stress and unhappiness, we in the US have also seen an increase in obesity. According to the CDC, 36.5% of US adults are obese. With obesity comes a lot of other health risks, such as heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. Now, think of the benefits mentioned above; that forest bathing has been proven to have positive benefits on cardiovascular and metabolic health. Isn’t it crazy how something so simple could help people be more healthy? 

But if forest bathing isn’t hiking, why am I talking about it? I am talking about it because these same health benefits that you get from connecting with nature you can get from hiking too. Plus, with hiking you are also adding exercise into the equation. Last week, I mentioned briefly the health benefits of hiking, but I wanted to take some time to dive more in depth into it. I think it is important to note the ample opportunities to better yourself both mentally and physically and hiking is a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

There are many, many studies that have proven how hiking can benefit your health whether that be mentally or physically. Rolling Fox outlines both the physical and mental benefits from hiking:

It Makes You Happier 

Hiking is a great way to strengthen your mental health. Studies have shown that it not only reduces stress, but it also is a great “mental health prescription,” according to a Stanford study.

Improves Overall Health 

Hiking has positive impacts on both mental and physical health.

Reduces Your Risk of Heart Disease

Hiking can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol if you participate enough. High blood pressure and cholesterol are usually consequences of obesity which is the number one cause of heart disease

Helps Prevent Diabetes

Being fit is a good way to prevent diabetes, since Type II diabetes usually is caused by being overweight. Frequent hiking can help reduce this.

Increases Bone Density

The more you exercise, the stronger your tolerance gets for impacts as you get stronger. Getting outside also increases your Vitamin D levels which helps improve bone strength.

Strengthens Relationships with Friends 

Hiking gives you a reason to spend time with your friends and it does so by using an activity that increases your mood! Happy hiking!

Reduces Anxiety and Tension

Hiking releases endorphins in our body that help us to feel more relaxed. 

Helps with Osteoporosis & Arthritis

Hiking keeps you moving! Moving helps your circulation. Therefore, it is easier for oxygen to move through the joints.

Increases Cardio Fitness

Obviously pace yourself, but the more you are able to do, the more your cardiovascular fitness is improving as you continually are physically active. 

Helps You Sleep Better

Exercise helps you sleep better at night, and since hiking is a great form of exercise, it has the same effect!

Keeps your Weight Under Control

Hiking helps you burn calories and stay in good shape. 

These benefits listed above are all wonderful reasons to get out and hike, besides the obvious reason that it is a lot of fun. Exercise in general can provide a lot of these same benefits but I think it is important to note the additional mental and physical benefit of spending time outdoors that you can’t get from all forms of exercise. The benefits of forest bathing prove that just being outside can have a big impact on someone’s overall well being, therefore, adding physical activity to the mix can only help even more. 

Have I convinced you to go take a hike yet?  I hope so. But if you’re not up for a hike, or aren’t able to go hiking because of physical restraints, I strongly encourage you at the very least to spend some time outside. Whether you have a couple hours or just twenty minutes, it is important to remove yourself from the urban scene even just for a little while. 

So, the next time you have some free time, or you are feeling down, I encourage you to get outside. Consider all the benefits discussed above and then go spend some time in nature, whether that be forest bathing or going for a hike. The nice thing about hiking is that it can be as strenuous or as easy as you want it to be. You can take on steep inclines and push yourself through, or you can find a nice nature path to stroll down--it’s all up to you. Hiking is for everyone, just as nature is. 

In addition to getting outside, I also encourage you to take some time to research the different benefits you reap from your favorite recreational activity. So, if hiking just doesn’t fit on the agenda for the day, I am sure that whatever outdoor activity you choose to partake in, there will be plenty of benefits to reap. 

I hope you all find some time to hit the trails, or go smell the leaves! If you need tips on where to hike in the driftless region, be sure to check out last weeks post that recommends some great trails in the area. Also, if you’re new to hiking look over the list on my page of things every beginner hiker should know! 

That’s all for this week! Be sure to comment below what other types of benefits you all have experienced from spending time hiking or just in the outdoors! Happy hiking, all!

Also, be sure to follow my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram page for more updates throughout the week on hiking content. 

[talabib]

Simple Tools For Making Better Use Of Your Free Time.

There are a lot of books out there offering tips, rules and complex systems on how to work more efficiently and be more productive. But does any of that stuff really make you happier in life?

Adding happiness to your life is less about the choices you make at work and more about the choices you make outside of work.

This post is about a checklist for how to make better choices about your free time, so that you’ll feel more fulfilled and start living a more meaningful life.

Your time is one of the most valuable resources you have, because it is limited – and shrinking by the second. So why not use science to ensure you make the most of it?

Finding more happiness and success starts with choosing better experiences.

It’s pretty common for concerns about free time to take a back seat to concerns about being more productive. Indeed, if you were raised in a capitalist society, you may think that time not spent earning money is time wasted. This might even be why we tend to idealize people who are always busy taking care of the next piece of business.

Our desire to be efficient also explains why we tend to feel like we have less free time than we actually do.

Studies have shown that the average American has five hours and fourteen minutes of free time per day, while the average Brit has five hours and forty-nine minutes.

Yet other studies show that, despite these healthy sums, four out of five Americans feel they don’t have enough time to do what they’d like, while three out of four Brits feel they aren’t getting the most out of their time.

But there are other reasons for feeling like we don’t have much free time. At the top of this list is the fact that people spend a daily average of three and a half hours interacting with their phones. This often comes from the fact that with so many emails, texts and social media updates arriving daily, there’s an anxiety-inducing fear of missing out on something – known as FOMO – which results in hours spent just keeping up with your digital life.

But here’s the thing: even though we place a high value on work and productivity, they aren’t the only important things in life, especially when it comes to feeling happy and satisfied. According to multiple studies from institutions like Harvard Business School and Cornell University, what really brings happiness into people’s lives are experiences.

While this is a pretty interesting idea on its own, research also shows that happiness is a strong precursor to success. Conventional wisdom usually tells us that happiness is a byproduct of success, and yet a lot of evidence suggests that it’s actually the other way around.

What all of this adds up to is that positive experiences lead to happiness, which in turn leads to success. So to achieve success, we should try to have positive experiences. The question then becomes: What is a positive experience, and how can I introduce more of them into my life?

For enduring happiness, choose experiences that add to your own heroic story.

What kind of positive experiences lead to enduring, sustainable happiness? In researching this question an expert came up with the STORIES checklist.

This stands for Story, Transformation, Outside & Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, and Status & Significance.

So when considering whether or not an activity is going to be a worthwhile way of spending your time, the first question you can ask yourself is: Will it add to my Story? Any valuable experience will add to your story by ticking off one or all of the items on the checklist.

For example, if you had an eye-opening experience while on a yoga retreat in India, that would count as transformational, intense, extraordinary and significant. Ultimately, experiences like this inform the kind of people we are, and they also form the narrative of our own life stories.

There are two popular versions of all the heroic stories we find so satisfying. The first is called “The Man in a Hole Story,” introduced by the American writer Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. It suggests that every hero in a narrative starts out in a good place, then gradually sinks into a hole of misfortune before being restored to good fortune by the end of the story.

The other version of this story is what scholar Joseph Campbell calls “The Hero’s Journey,” which is a more circular tale. It starts out in the ordinary world, where the hero accepts a “call to action” that requires perseverance through many trials and tribulations.

Through this process, the hero learns new skills, overcomes the supreme ordeal, receives a reward and returns home. In the end, he shares the gifts and wisdom he acquired, and in doing so forever changes the ordinary world into a new world.

By placing yourself in the hero’s role, you can not only recognize what your particular call to action is, but can also begin to be more adventurous and understand that difficulties and struggles are crucial to our stories and shouldn’t be avoided. It is through these challenging experiences that we acquire the tools that allow us to reach our goals and slay our own metaphorical dragons.

Events that provide change and transformation are key to finding fulfillment.

Once you place yourself in your own hero’s journey, you can start to see that change – Transformation, on our checklist – is the name of the game. After all, if you were watching a story in which the hero wasn’t changing in some way, it would be pretty boring and maybe even sad, right? Well, the same holds true for your life, and it’s why change and personal development are key to feeling happier and more fulfilled.

This is a good time to consider two simple but revealing questions: Looking back over the past ten years, how much do you think you’ve changed, on a scale of one to ten? Now, how much do you think you’ll change over the next ten years?

For most people, the first number is higher than the second, and this is known in psychology as the end of history illusion, which means we tend to think of change as something happening in the past, not the future. As a result, significant changes are often unplanned.

But once you understand that change is a key part of a fulfilling life, you can start actively seeking it out, by finding experiences that bring new inspiration, new skills and other transformative elements into your life.

Let’s take vacationing, for instance. There are basically three ways you can approach a vacation: fly and flop, find and seek, or go and become.

With fly and flop, personal development is not on the menu. Fly and flop might involve going to a resort and engaging in passive experiences like lying in the sun, eating familiar foods and reading books and magazines that require very little effort on your part. While it might be relaxing, this approach results in some pretty dull stories to tell others back home.

Find and seek involves more active engagement. You travel to new places with the intent to explore, or maybe attend a music festival like Burning Man. You’ll see new things and have some interesting stories to tell, but for the most part it’s an experience that any other sightseer or concert-goer might have.

The go and become approach, however, offers a real chance for transformation. In this scenario, your vacation would come with a purposeful intent to learn inspirational things about different cultures and customs, or new skills like painting, boating or traditional sushi techniques. Or it might involve a spiritual retreat of some kind.

Whatever the case may be, it will include very personal, and possibly very transformational, experiences – and therefore a great story.

Being outside and offline has been shown to improve people’s moods directly.

Next on the STORIES checklist is Outside and Offline, which is pretty self-explanatory: valuable experiences that lead to happiness are more likely to take place in nature and away from the online world.

Let’s first consider the benefits of nature. Around 1990, Japanese researchers began looking into the claims of health benefits surrounding a pastime known as shinrin yoku, or forest bathing – and, sure enough, the claims appeared to be valid.

Compared to walks on a treadmill, these immersive forest walks were far more effective at reducing tension, anger and fatigue, as well as blood pressure and cortisol levels, while at the same time improving mood.

There’s also the revealing evidence gleaned from the 20,000 or so users of the Mappiness app, who periodically entered their mood and activity while the app recorded GPS and weather data.

Ultimately, the data showed that people were unhappiest while at work, sick in bed, or commuting to work, and that they were happiest while in nature – especially when close to water. Happiness levels in coastal areas, for instance, were generally six points higher than in urban areas.

There’s a biological factor at work here. Scientists believe we’re simply predisposed, from an evolutionary perspective, to enjoy the calming sights, sounds and smells of nature and water.

Biological factors also help explain why we should choose to spend more time offline. Researchers have long known that humans are susceptible to conditioning. You may be familiar with the psychologist Ivan Pavlov, who over a century ago conditioned dogs to salivate with hunger – not in the presence of food, but at the sound of a metronome that signified the arrival of food.

Interaction with your smartphone is much like gambling on a slot machine: what’s at work is a system of operational conditioning known as intermittent variable rewards.

This means you’re interacting with a system that offers an inconsistent promise of large or small rewards. And when this happens, even the most intelligent people can end up picking up their phones 300 times a day, checking how many likes their latest Instagram or Facebook post has racked up, or scouting for a funny new meme.

The problem is that, as multiple studies in the US and Europe show, too much time online leads to feelings of isolation, stress, depression and insomnia. Fortunately, however, if you start spending less time online now, your mood can improve immediately.

Engage in activities that connect you with others to avoid the potentially fatal effects of loneliness.

While solitude and some time alone can be a nice change of pace from time to time, no one enjoys feeling lonely. This might sound obvious enough, but what you may not know is just how dangerous loneliness can be.

Over time, persistent loneliness has been proven to cause stress and create more protein fibrinogens in your body, which clog arteries, increase blood pressure and make you more likely to get diabetes and have a heart attack.

What’s more, in compiling seven years’ worth of data from nearly three and a half million people, researchers found that loneliness increased a person’s chances of death by 29 percent. Meanwhile, social isolation increased that chance by 26 percent, and living alone by 32 percent. Remarkably, these statistics show that loneliness is deadlier than type 2 diabetes or smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

This brings us to the third item on the STORIES checklist: Relationships. Curbing loneliness is about finding ways to connect with other people. And the good news is that there are many ways of doing this.

Basically, the way to be less lonely is to do something interesting – anything, really. Most experiences involve other people in some way, whether you’re outside playing sports or indoors playing a board game.

But even if you’re pursuing solitary experiences like meditating, reading an interesting book or working on a painting, psychologists have found that these activities can still provide a sense of belonging in the larger sense.

And remember, whenever you have an interesting experience, it gives you a good story to tell, and sharing stories is one of the best ways to form bonds with others.

Ideally, your experiences speak to who you are as an individual, so think about what you like to do, and then see whether there’s a group in your community or online that you can join. If you like to go hiking, there are plenty of outdoor groups; if you like to read, join a book club, or start your own.

Check out what’s going on in your community. It’s highly likely that there’s a group or association doing something that you find interesting. If not, there may be a festival within a reasonable distance that you can attend. And when’s the last time you talked to your neighbors?

No matter what you’re up to, there’s probably a way to make adjustments and find ways for your activities to connect you with others.

We’re at our happiest when engaged in intense, immersive activities that allow for good flow.

There’s a good chance you’ve heard about flow, a state of being in which you’re so fully immersed in what you’re doing that you lose track of time. Studies have found that when we’re experiencing flow, we’re also experiencing some of the happiest moments in our lives.

This brings us to the Intensity part of the checklist. After all, finding flow essentially means being so intensely focused on what you’re doing that all your troubles recede. Needless to say, when it comes to deciding how to spend your time, choosing an experience that gives you flow is often the smart way to go.

For starters, what you do should be challenging enough that staying engaged with the activity requires all your abilities and demands a state of full-body awareness. This is what athletes call the zone.

Note that mindless video games, binge-watching and endlessly scrolling through a news feed are not sufficiently challenging activities. Even though they can cause you to block out everything around you and suck hours from your life, they’re not going to leave you with the kind of transformative satisfaction that you’ll get from good flow.

A handy, simple rule of thumb for telling the difference between good and bad flow is to know that good flow requires you to put in true, intense effort in order to receive the reward at the end.

In fact, the progression of a real flow experience is not unlike the hero’s journey: there’s an initial struggle, followed by a release in which you enter the zone and the flow begins, and then, at the end, you feel physically, emotionally and mentally drained, yet also ecstatic at having slain your metaphorical dragons.

Difficult experiences are thus not only worthwhile, they can be some of the happiest and most rewarding things you’ll ever do, if they’re intense and require your full engagement.

And where can you find such experiences? Well, sports are great for adding flow to your life, but you can also get it from performing in front of an audience, writing, carpentry and any number of other activities that require skill and attention.

For example, have you ever considered taking an improv comedy class? Few activities are more intense than trying to be funny in front of a live audience.

How we remember activities has a lot to do with beginnings, peaks and ends.

The penultimate item on the checklist for improving how you spend your time is Extraordinary. This, as the name suggests, stands for experiences that are out of the ordinary. But it also means paying attention to the peak moments that determine just how memorable an experience is.

Peak moments, as well as endings, have a disproportionate amount of influence on how we experience things. In fact, psychologists have a term for this effect: the peak-end rule. Essentially, it means that you can wait in line for an annoying length of time, but if the line speeds up in the last moments, you’ll likely look back at the experience as not that annoying.

In other words, even though the experience was mostly annoying, you’ll remember it as being pleasant enough because of how it ended, or how it peaked.

The peak-end rule applies to a person’s experiencing self and remembering self, and knowing about this difference can allow you not only to make better decisions about how you spend your time, but also to plan those experiences better.

For example, if you’re having a miserable time stuck in traffic on the way to a music festival, you can rest easy knowing that this is your experiencing self suffering, and that the peak moments of the festival will be the things your remembering self will care about, while the misery of the traffic will be forgotten.

Now, this doesn’t mean you need to pack every day with as many peak moments as you can. After all, if it’s all extraordinary experiences all the time, you’ll likely burn out. Plus, it takes an ordinary baseline to make the extraordinary stand out. Since everyone’s needs and preferences are different, we all have to find the right balance that works for us.

It’s also worth noting that you can inject a seemingly ordinary moment with extraordinary significance just by appreciating the inherent wonder in nature and human existence. Therefore, while it makes sense to add new and exciting experiences to your everyday life, you can also have a happier life by recognizing the everyday as already pretty special.

Consider a cup of tea, for example. On its own it may be ordinary, but if you make each brew part of a daily calming ritual, it can be pretty extraordinary.

Activities that boost our status can lead to happier lives.

All societies contain hierarchies of some sort, and wherever there’s a hierarchy, there are people of different status. In the workplace, for example, we have clerks, supervisors, managers and directors. But there are also two other primary ways for gaining status: there are the experts who gain status through their education, and successful people who’ve earned theirs through money.

This is significant, since researchers have found that status can bring happiness, primarily through the added amount of control and number of options in life that come with it.

According to a University of Cambridge study, three things can lead someone to flourish in life: control, capabilities and social participation. And the way you increase these three things is by attaining more education, money and power – the three elements of status.

With more education comes more capabilities, and with more money comes a wider array of experiences to choose from. This equates to more opportunities and more chances for social engagement, which in turn can lead to increased happiness.

As for the kinds of experiences that can contribute to more status in life, one of the best things you can do is continue your education in order to become more of an expert in your field. Travel is also a great way to gain more knowledge through transformative experiences as you visit more places, do new things and go on more adventures.

As for social participation, this can be increased through any activity that helps you become more connected to your community, and a more important figure within it. This could include joining a local committee or just networking with more colleagues and peers.

It also helps to do things that help you become more fit. But this isn’t about body image – it’s about being in better shape so that you can increase the range of physically demanding adventures and activities that are available to you.

The final path to higher status is to turn off the TV. According to experts, it’s no coincidence that the lower someone’s status is, the more TV he or she watches. The more you watch, the fewer story-worthy experiences you’re having. So start thinking of TV as a last resort to turn to when all other options are unavailable.

When it comes to the association between status and money, however, it’s important to understand that it’s not about how much you make, but how you use it. Happiness doesn’t come from buying interchangeable material things that anyone else can buy. It comes from using your money, as well as your time, to help others.

The STORIES checklist helps people add more fulfillment, meaning and happiness to their lives by focusing their attention on the seven key elements that make up the best experiences: Story, Transformation, Outside & Offline, Relationships, Intensity, Extraordinary, and Status & Significance. These are all characteristics that guide you toward experiences that further your personal development and increase your happiness, while keeping you away from empty activities that either add nothing of value or promote unhappiness.    

 Action plan: Go offline this weekend and get wild. Plan some outdoor activities for the weekend ahead, like hiking, canoeing or biking. Maybe pack a picnic and head out to the seaside, or set up camp in the nearest forest reserve or park. You could also just set up some long weekend lunches with friends.

Whatever you decide to do, plan to turn off all your internet devices and leave them off from 7 PM on Friday until 7 PM on Sunday. Then make a note of how you feel during the weekend while you’re untethered. There’s a good chance you’ll feel some withdrawal-like symptoms, but see whether you can repeat this experiment at least one weekend a month while trying to move toward having more internet-free weekends.

[novaaddison]

5 Simple Tips to Cope with the Academic Stress

Getting education was once perceived as leisure and pleasure of exploring the facts, digging deeper into the universe, adding more to the information and learning new things. Somehow, modern day schooling has literally turned around the whole dimensions of education and learning. The modern teaching techniques and procedures have exacerbated the mental stress of students and they now seem more inclined towards filling pages in piling assignments and writing tasks. 

Right from lengthy essays to tiring research papers, term papers to question solutions, random assignments to report writing, today’s poor student has a lot on his plate already. Modern day schooling has turned up to be more of a steady race where students are always hushing up to camouflage their academic weaknesses and they seem more interested in cutting corners to find quick solutions to their academic problems like writing lengthy assignments and meanwhile meeting grilling deadlines. 

Hiring Writing Professionals Could Be a Real Deal!

The most modern phenomenon of sharing academic stress is the professional academic writing companies that are somehow beneficial in one way or another. They team up with highly qualified professionals, usually retired professors and nothing could get better than being straight in contact with a learned and retired professor to seek asylum from the academic tasks and their stress. Students looking for best case study writing service can pretty easily come up with faster and more pragmatic solutions until the company under consideration is a real deal. 

5 Quick Stress Pacifiers

Here below, we’ve summed up some of the most effective scientifically proven techniques to cope with your educational stress. Hope they all work well for stressed students.

1. Laughter Therapy

Experts say that laughter is probably the best medicine to heal your stress and anxiety. When we laugh, the oxygen intake increases which results in stimulating the release of endorphins which are the biggest triggers of anxiety. So next time you get caught up in a tricky situation, make sure to spare a moment and laugh out loud to spit out all your stress.

2. Chew Gum

A recent Japanese study unleashed that those who chewed gum twice a day for two consecutive weeks enhanced their internal feeling of well being, doesn’t that sound great? This isn’t as if there are some certain ingredients in chewing gum that help reduce the stress but this is plainly related to the activity of frequently chewing the gum called MASTICATION which escalates the activity in the cerebral area of the brain causing relaxation.

3. Nature’s Intimacy

Time spent in nature or especially near a homegrown plant can directly hit the stress levels to decrease them for good. Back in 1982 the Japanese government started a SHINRIN-YOKU or forest bathing campaign which resulted in a clear fall in cortisol, heart rate and blood pressure levels. Even hospital patients who have direct view of nature tend to have far better recovery rates shown in many studies. Simply tea can cause a placebo and improve mood. 

4. Listening Favorite Music

Listening to your favorite music can create that exact impact of relaxation and mood improvements. Songs with 60 to 80 beats per minute without lyrics are shown to have decreased stress in patients who have even undergone multiple surgeries.  

5. Cuddling with Pets

If you have a pet around you, spare a moment to cuddle and play with your pet. Owning a pet correlates to lowering the anxiety levels in the brain. Being in the company of a beloved pet is known to decrease the cortisol levels and release of oxytocin.

Spare a few moments to deal with your stress and anxiety levels, this would help unleash the real bright student inside you.

[rockislandadultreads]

Forest Bathing: The Rejuvenating Practice of Shinrin Yoku

by Hector Garcia Puigcerver, Francesc Miralles

Shinrin Yoku: "taking in the forest atmosphere", the medicine of simply being in the forest, "forest bathing"

From the healing properties of phytoncides (self-protective compounds emitted by plants) to the ways we can benefit from what forest spaces can teach us, Forest Bathing: The Rejuvenating Practice of Shinrin Yoku discusses the history, science and philosophy behind this age-old therapeutic practice. Examples from the ancient Celts to Henry David Thoreau remind us of the ties between humankind and the natural world—ties that have become more and more elusive to Westerners. This book explains the traditional Japanese concepts that help readers understand and share in the benefits of the Japanese approach to forest bathing—a cornerstone of healing and health care in Japan. These concepts include: - Yugen: Our living experience of the world around us that is so profound as to be beyond expression - Komorebi: The interplay of leaves and sunlight - Wabi sabi: Rejoicing in imperfection and impermanence The book goes on to offer guidelines for finding our replenishment in these peaceful, isolated spaces—from turning off the phone (or leaving it at home) to seeking the irregularities in nature, which in turn can make us less critical of ourselves. Finally, it offers tips not only on being fully present and mindful while you're in the forest, but also on how to take that mindfulness home with you—even if that home is the busiest and most crowded of cities.

[marybromley]

(Green) thumbs up! Gardening’s growth fuelled by pandemic-driven need to connect with nature

As the days grow longer, the signs of the growing interest in gardening are everywhere in Metro Vancouver.

Local garden stores such as GardenWorks are already trying to keep up with the early demand for seeds and the arrival of scores of first-time gardeners. So far, this spring looks to be even busier than last year.

More people than ever before are looking to connect with nature by growing something whatever way they can.

Lynda Pasacreta, president of the Richmond Garden Club , has seen the growing interest in gardening in the growth in volunteers in Paulik Neighbourhood Park , located in Richmond’s city centre area.

Right after the start of last year’s provincial health emergency, people started strolling through the park’s 30-plus raised flower beds and mature stands of Western Cedar, Sitka spruce and Douglas fir.

Before the pandemic, the garden club struggled to get 10 volunteers to help with the raised beds in the 0.6-hectare (1.5-acre) garden. Now, the club has more 30 volunteers smitten with the gardening bug.

“These are very passionate people who have never gardened before in their life,” Pasacreta said.

In a recent presentation to the Canadian Federation of University Women about connecting to nature, Pasacreta talked about the growing body of research about the beneficial effects of being outdoors in a natural setting.

People who practise what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku or forest bathing breathe in naturally occurring, beneficial aerosols called terpenes that are produced by trees as well as fruits, vegetables and flowers.

“If you’re feeling scared about the pandemic, frightened and out of control, go and stand in the forest for at least two hours a week,” she said.

“People are finding it is a great way to get out of feeling restricted, of feeling like you’re in jail or you can’t do things.”

At GardenWorks , president Leanne Johnson said the level of interest in gardening is nothing less than “astonishing.” Last year, the pandemic convinced many people, including young families, to try gardening for the first time. Others have returned to the pastime after a long absence.

“We saw a huge uptake last spring starting at the end of March and into April. We wondered: ‘Would that continue this spring? Will people have grown tired?’ ” she said.

The interest, Johnson said, is even greater this spring.

“Our garden centres are going full out right now,” she said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Like last year, there’s a huge demand for seeds for growing food and for berries that can be grown in containers.

“People are starting to grow their own food and getting to know their neighbours again because they have to give away so many zucchinis,” she said.

The interest from first-time gardeners has led to a change in marketing at GardenWorks’ eight locations in B.C. Rather than focusing on what plants are on sale, the company is moving towards becoming garden coaches for customers.

“What do people need the most? They need help with being successful,” Johnson said.

“If they’re successful with a veggie garden or creating a beautiful peaceful Eden for themselves, then that interest in gardening will continue.”

In East Vancouver on Victoria Drive, Figaro’s Garden manager Conor Preston said there’s definitely a continuing interest in sustainable gardening and in permaculture based on the idea of creating a healthy ecosystem that balances itself.

“One of the classics is often called the ‘three sisters’: Corn, beans and squash,” he said, referring to a traditional combination used by many Indigenous nations in North America.

The beans grow up the scaffolding of the corn, the squash along the ground to create shade and prevent evaporation. The beans also provide nitrogen, one of the most important nutrients for corn.

There is also continuing demand for indoor plants that builds on a trend that had been occurring for about five years.

A variegated monstera deliciosa , for example, used to sell for $30 to $50. Now they’re $300 to $500, if you can find one.

Preston has noticed that his relationship with customers has changed.

“The customer is always right, of course. That still exists,” he said.

“But I sort of feel if someone asks you how you’re doing, you have more room to say, ‘Oh you know I am a little stressed.’ I feel you can have more honest interaction with customers.”

‘Smart gardens’ let you grow food in small spaces

A Vancouver company is making a smart garden that allows anyone living in an apartment or condo to grow their own food.

It’s called AVA Byte and is small enough to fit on a shelf at home.

AVA Byte scales down technology borrowed from the cannabis industry, said Valerie Song, co-founder and CEO.

“A lot of times people are getting basil plants from grocery stories and within a few days or a week or so it starts to wither away,” Song said.

“We thought there should be a better solution to keep plants alive.”

AVA is short for Automated Vertical Agriculture. Plants start in various pre-seeded packs that include four different types of basil, five mixed salad greens or five Asian herbs. Water and LED lighting are administered by software monitored by five sensors and a camera.

AVA Byte is designed and made in B.C. and sells for $499.

During the pandemic, an estimated one in five people started growing food for the first time. It often didn’t work because first-time home farmers didn’t have all the information they needed to succeed, Song said.

But AVA Byte, Song said, can connect via the Internet to the company’s customer service centre to help gardeners with any issues not covered by the app, pruning tips and educational material.

Smart gardens such as AVA Byte have catapulted into public awareness, she said, because of concerns over food security and changing consumer habits.

“When the pandemic first hit, our website saw 3,000 per cent increase in organic traffic,” Song said.

“This type of technology can really help to change what gardening is in the future.”

kevingriffin@postmedia.com

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(Green) thumbs up! Gardening’s growth fuelled by pandemic-driven need to connect with nature published first on https://weedkillerguide.tumblr.com/

[ebisss-my]

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Orang Jepun mempunyai konsep yang dipanggil "shinrin-yoku" yang bermaksud "mandi hutan". Mereka melakukan ini dengan menghabiskan masa di hutan atau di mana-mana tempat di pangkal alam untuk menuai manfaat terapeutik seperti kesihatan yang lebih baik, kebahagiaan, dan rasa ketenangan.

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1490777236329{margin-right: 10px !important;margin-bottom: 40px !important;margin-left: 10px !important;}”]Since I started practicing Nature Therapy I noticed many health and wellbeing benefits – my stress levels seemed to do down, my immune system improved – I was getting fewer colds and flues, and my general wellbeing got better. I was much…

[shirleyarcher]

How to Prevent the Corona Virus (COVID-19): What You Can Do Today

EVIDENCE BASED

HOW TO PREVENT THE CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19)

Your best defense against this new infectious disease is a strong offense—practices that boost your immunity and optimize hygiene. In the course of my research, I turned up a few critical facts. Read on to learn what is COVID-19, how you can protect yourself and your family and where you can get latest updates.

WHAT IS THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include both the common cold and SARS (aka the bird flu). COVID-19, named by the World Health Organization, first appeared in Wuhan, China, from, as of date of publication, an unidentified animal. Previously unseen in humans, we have no immunities against it.

The only transmission method is human-to-human via mucosal secretions (ie saliva or a runny nose) from an infected person to another person’s eyes, nose or mouth. The good news is that you do not seem to be able to get it from cooked food (unless someone sneezed on it), sweat, sexual fluids or the air.

Scientists continue to evaluate the transmission rate (how many people an infected person can infect), the infection rate (what percent of people exposed become infected) and the mortality rate (what percent of people die). On one hand, the disease appears highly contagious. On the other hand, it presents a high risk of mortality primarily to older people (60+), people with health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, COPD, etc or those who have weakened immune systems such as people with auto-immune conditions, those battling cancer, people with transplants or newborn infants. In a new study from Lancet based on data in Wuhan, those at highest risk of death were older, had high blood pressure and diabetes and showed signs of sepsis upon hospital admission.

One of the challenges is that the virus incubates inside a person for up to two weeks before causing any symptoms. As a result, many people infect others through ‘viral shedding’ before they know they have it. Some individuals carry the virus without experiencing symptoms. And, new research shows that some individuals who recovered from the virus may continue to infect others up to four weeks (longest recorded viral shedding in a survivor was 37 days!). Therefore, you simply cannot tell who may infect you.

Studies indicate that you get it through direct contact with an infected person’s respiratory droplets when they cough or exhale or by touching a surface where an infected person left secretions, for example by coughing on it or touching it with their hand after they coughed into it.

Bad news: it’s unclear how long it may last upon a surface. Recent research shows that some coronaviruses can survive up to 9 days on an undisturbed glass, metal or plastic surface.

Good news: it can be efficiently inactivated by surface disinfection procedures with 62–71% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite within 1 minute. Keep in mind, it matters what formulation of disinfectant you use, so check labels.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COVID-19

If COVID-19 is in your community, these are best practices from the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and other respected public health leaders.

Wash hands frequently: Transmission can occur if you touch a ‘dirty’ surface and then touch your face. Frequent hand washing is your first defense. Proper washing technique consists of using soap and water and scrubbing thoroughly (between fingers, under nails, on top) for 20 seconds—the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice. Here’s instruction on effective hand washing.

If you do not use soap and water, using a hand dryer will NOT kill the germs. if you use a hand rub, it must contain at least 60% alcohol. Less is ineffective. Check hand sanitizer product labels for potency. Here’s a list of EPA approved sanitizer brands with strength to kill germs. Make your own hand spray with pure isopropyl alcohol (my personal doctor’s recommendation), if products are sold out in your area, or you can create your own 60% blend.

Avoid face touching: Practice mindfulness to notice how often you touch your face. As your awareness increases, you will be able to stop. If you notice you’re a frequent face toucher (the typical person touches their face 23x/hour), try wearing a glove as a prop to heighten awareness. You can also simply wear gloves each time you go out in public places. When you return home, wash hands as soon as you remove them. Wash your gloves in hot water as noted below.

Do social distancing: Keep a distance of at least 3 feet (1 meter) between you and other people. If a person is coughing, keep a distance of 6 feet (2 meters).

Avoid sharing food and personal items: Even at home, use your own towels, glasses, eating utensils, etc. Do not eat out of shared bowls.

Follow cough/sneeze etiquette: If you cough or sneeze, use a tissue or an elbow. Used tissues should be disposed of immediately in closed receptacles.

Limit contact: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you’re sick, stay home. If you have a high fever, extreme fatigue and/or experience difficulty breathing, contact a health care provider. Limit contact with other family members and even pets. The impact of COVID-19 on animals is not yet confirmed. Here are steps to follow if you’re sick.

Boost your natural immunity: Your strongest defense is to optimize your health by boosting your immune system so you can resist the virus or if you become infected, you can fight its effects successfully. See this blog post for my top 9 tips for a strong immune system.

What to do about face masks? The primary benefit of a face mask, if you’re not sick, is that it prevents you from touching your face. A paper mask has openings on the side and respiratory droplets can still enter. A health care provider’s N95 mask has a protective seal against these droplets, but there’s a shortage globally and health care providers need these most. If you’re sick, the face mask is valuable to reduce your chances of infecting others.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOUR HOME

Disinfect high-touch surfaces: Use an approved surface disinfectant as noted above. If you cannot find ready-made products, make your own bleach solution with ⅓ cup bleach in one gallon of water (80 ml in 6.3 liters), but do not use this for hand cleaning, only for surfaces. High touch surfaces include door handles, doors, handrails, light switches, handles, faucets, sinks, toilets, showers, computers, keyboards, phones, remote controls, desks and table tops. If everyone washes their hands as soon as they return home, the only areas of concern will be in the entry way and bathroom used for hand washing.

Keep hand sanitizer by the front door: Make it easy for everyone to clean their hands as soon as they return home by keeping a sensor dispenser with hand sanitizer by the door. If that’s not possible, remind everyone to wash hands as soon as they arrive home.

Remove shoes: Shoes carry a lot of germs. While they don’t carry the COVID-19 virus, they can carry other viruses and bacteria and you can limit your germ load at home.

Wash clothes, towels in hottest water possible: Viruses can live on soft surfaces, but cannot withstand high temperatures. Wash outerwear that has been worn in public, particularly if anyone near you appeared sick. Wash towels, particularly those for hand drying, in hot water (60˚ C+, 140˚+ F). Disinfect hampers where dirty laundry has been, including the laundry bag and the hamper.

Diffuse essential oils: While this is not proven against the virus that causes COVID-19, essential oils like cedar have proven antiviral properties. They also smell beautifully. See this blog post for more natural ways to reduce risk of viruses in your home.

Get happy and go outside: Growing research supports that chronic stress undermines your immune system and that being happy and calm boosts your immune system’s functioning. (I will write much more on this later.)

For example, several studies demonstrate that meditators experience less sickness and produce a stronger antibody response to a vaccine. In addition, growing evidence supports the health benefits of time spent enjoying direct contact with nature. Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) boosts your immune system functioning, in one study immune system natural killer cells increased by as much as 56%. Read more about the powerful effects of spending time outdoors in my blog post here. Learn more about forest bathing here.

You can protect yourself, your family and your home. Armed with accurate information and actionable tips, you can proactively protect yourself, your family and your home from the threat of COVID-19. I know I feel much more relaxed when I have a clear action plan. Practice good hygiene and prep your home with natural virus protection tips, then relax: go outdoors; enjoy some family, friends or solo time in quieter activities with fewer people; get moving with moderate exercise, maybe try forest bathing or meditation, boost your health with these 9 tips and savor a good night’s sleep.

Get UPDATES HERE

What I’ve shared is based on best practices known to date. Much about the virus that causes COVID-19, named SARS-CoV-2, is still unknown. For updates from public health organizations, check the links below.

CDC. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

WHO. COVID-2019 Daily situation reports.

EPA. EPA’s registered antimicrobial products for use against novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19

Learn about how to start a meditation practice here:

Visit my YouTube channel for more videos on happiness, mindfulness, the mind-body connection and more. While you're there, please subscribe.  New videos are added every Thursday. 

If you need to remind yourself to make more time for self-care, use the Power of the Pause Workbook for tips on how and why.  Download your free copy here. 

If you have ANY questions, please feel free to send me an email. If these tips helped you, I’d love for you to please SHARE with friends and followers on social media—just click on the SHARE button below. Thank you!

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