- Feb 26, 2021
- 5 min read

How Nature Supports Our Mental Health

You my friend, need to take a trip to…

The woodland!

Tap into all of the wonderful green “heart chakra” energy that is pulsating through the eco- system right this very moment.

Put your boots on, turn your phone off, and hug the first tree that speaks to you! - Okay, the last part is not completely necessary, but being a tree hugger is significantly good for your health!.. And it won’t cost you a dime. There really is nothing to lose, but oh so much to gain.

For aeons, trees, as vessels of sacred Earth energy, have been revered and appreciated for their powerful healing abilities, medicinal properties and looked upon for their spiritual messages.

Tree’s have many lessons to teach us:

The deeper our “roots” go, the more we are able to withstand the trials, challenges, and other difficulties that come our way. Healthy, mature trees have roots that travel in all directions seeking water and nutrients.
Don’t be afraid to let things go. Just as the tree sheds her bark and her leaves, we should also encourage what we have out-grown, to fall
External forces will prevail, but we can call upon our strength and endurance to see us through
Patience and adaptability are qualities that will take us far
Tree’s naturally seek light. We can follow their example and seek the Light of the world.
Enjoy your unique natural beauty
Bend before you break

Spanning thousands of years in our history, humans would have lived, worked and played amongst the forests, but although innately in our beings we know that there is an importance of the natural world to human health, dominating urban-lifestyles in the 21st Century are seeing increasing abandonment of this connection, causing a vast number of people’s physical and mental health to fray at the edges.

Urban living causes our sympathetic nervous system, which controls the well-known ‘fight or flight’ response, to be on constant high alert. Continuously high volumes of the stress hormone, Cortisol, leads to physical problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as anxiety and depression.

The good news is that our nervous and immune systems can be calmed and restored by reconnecting with nature… stepping out into the woods and observing the fine details, bringing awareness to the senses and simply just breathing in the rich, clean, oxygen- infused air can do wonders for anybody; boosting our well-being in a natural way.

Did you know?

Tree’s quite literally filter the air in their environment of toxins, leaving it especially clean and fresh, whilst also releasing chemicals known as phytoncides, which drift down from the canopy and increase human NK (natural killer) cells, helping to fight off infection and tumours.

Taking in the forest atmosphere

As you walk amongst our forest friends, be mindful about the landscape… Walk slowly, allow your eyes time to take in the colour palette, notice the different smells… Observe the patterns and shapes, even feel the textures… the rough bark… the soft green moss…

‘Feeling the texture of the trees, your hands awaken. Wrapping your arms around trees, your heart awakens.’

If you don’t have the pleasant convenience of living by the ocean, walking high up in a forest can transport you there. The sound of the breeze rolling through the top canopies, deep and rhythmic like crashing waves, is an immersive experience that will centre you into the present moment like nothing else.

Whilst you’re up there, enjoy the channelled air flows that will kiss at your skin, leaving it feeling cool and refreshed. A session of premium cleansing for the aura for again, zilch but your time and wholesome presence.

Benefit from the fine tuning of your senses; from the sweet sounds of the birds to twigs snapping beneath your feet. We so often move through a landscape caught up in conversation or our own thoughts and hardly take stock of what’s around us, but if we bring intentionality and awareness to the experience, the environment can work it’s magic to it’s full potency.

Consciously connect for natural healing and wisdom

Tree’s are huge vessels of the Earth’s chi (energy), energy that we can tap into and that can transform us. The vibration of trees resonates with a feeling of security, stability, and safety, a wonderful go - to if we ever need a little pick me up or just open to a friendly, loving exchange.

Here we will share with you a little process about coming into a close communion with a tree, that both you and the tree can understand, and so increase the potential for harmonious interaction.

First thing to mention is that tree’s work on polarities too, some are very generous and want to give you all the energy in the world, whilst some others may be quite indifferent to you at first. Some are just friendly giants who enjoy human company whilst others may be weak or ill and in need of your comforting and healing energy. All is a process and you can learn and grow by working with all of them. Try to be gentle and patient in your approach, steer away from just looking to have your own needs fulfilled but sit quietly and ask if there’s anything you can do for the tree. The tree may communicate with you, most likely through mental images or you might receive messages intuitively… maybe it would like you to move a nearby log, or even ask you to come back and visit again. Returning back to a chosen tree often will help to nurture the relationship and as you surrender with tenderness, you might just find yourself being lead by the tree into the wonders of it’s own inner life.

Now let’s address positioning, try sitting at the base of the tree, leaning against it’s trunk, or facing the tree with your hands extended touching it. Breathe deeply into your lower abdomen - extending the exhalation of air to twice the length of the inhalation. Sending a message to the body that it can relax. Close your eyes and begin to slowly quieten the mind, allow the to - do lists and other personal matters to dissolve away into tiny fragments and peacefully tune into the energy of the tree.

It may seem strange or uncomfortable at first, but give it some time and this modality of healing will prove to be extremely rewarding - for both you, and the tree.

Strengthening our connection with the natural world increases our sense of wonder, of belonging, of meaning to life. Nature grounds us into the present moment and reminds us that slow is good, life is beautiful and there is deep joy in the wonder of existence.