“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.”
– Gary Snyder
In a very real sense, mountains and valleys, seas and skies, sun and land, trees and flowers are our home, our natural habitat.
Growing up in the modern developed world, we can easily come to believe that towns and cities, the urban and artificial environment, are where we naturally belong. But our brains and bodies, which evolved over thousands of years, were designed and engineered for a very different environment than the one we live in now.
Throughout our evolutionary history we live in a very close connection with the earth, with a very close kinship with other creatures. Our physiological system evolved to survive in natural and wild environments and developed a love and kinship for these places that lives on in our DNA.
This connection to the earth, combined with the kinship we would have felt with other living beings who shared the earth as their home, has established in us a strong sense of the natural world as ‘home’, and the importance of connection with all life. like your home, being essential for our well-being.
This ‘love for life’ or biophilia, is a basic human need. But sadly, due to the increasingly urbanized nature of the modern world, many of us have become disconnected from nature and suffer from what Richard Louv calls “nature deficit disorder.” We have been deprived of something that was a source of so much spiritual sustenance and nourishment. Since we walked the earth, a loss that has undoubtedly affected our collective health and well-being.
Science now supports what most of us who have spent time outdoors know intuitively: nature is good for us. Spending time in nature has been shown to decrease stress, relieve depression and anxiety, improve memory, creativity, and cognitive functioning, as well as increase energy levels, boost immunity, and decrease inflammation.
The fact that so many of us are deprived of something that is so essential to our well-being is a major health concern.
All of this does not suggest that there is something wrong with cities or that we should all go back to living off the land, far from it. Cities and towns are wonderful places to live and are generally full of nature, if we take the time to explore.
But, if we can care about our own health and well-being (not to mention the healthy development of our children). It is essential that we take the time to make an effort to connect with the natural world on a regular basis.
This is not another “should” of health. Our bodies and minds long for the return of this connection. Contact with nature is a purely pleasant experience. It is inherently rewarding. Consider the cornucopia of sensual experiences involved in this healthy hedonism that we are all familiar with:
The heat of the sun against the skin; a gentle summer breeze; birds singing on a quiet spring morning; the soothing sounds of the waves crashing against the shore; a beautiful sunset; a great view of the mountain; the wide expanse of lush green valleys; clear blue skies; the stars and the moon at night; the aroma of ripe fruits or blooming roses; the ray of light on the ocean; the feeling of sand or dirt underfoot; find shade in the solidity of a tree; observe birds in flight with their great patterns of movement; the joy of dogs running and playing .
In the practice of connecting with nature, there is no compulsion that often involves other healthy habits such as exercise and dieting, and no hangover from other pleasurable experiences such as food and drink. However, the connection to nature provides the health benefits of the former and intoxication and happiness of the latter.
Think of it as the homecoming hug.
