Take a Dose of Nature and Call Me in the Morning

I have always found nature and the outdoors to be restorative, and now doctors are actually prescribing it!

In the October/November 2010 issue of National Wildlife magazine, Dr. Daphne Miller, a family physician and associate clinical professor  at UC-San Francisco, describes physicians' use of "park prescriptions."  These "park prescriptions" are basically recommendations to spend time in greenspace doing some form of light movement.  Dr. Miller reports that "doctors around the country are medicating their patients with nature in order to prevent (or treat) health problems ranging from heart disease to attention deficit disorder." 

As the days get shorter and colder, it can be tempting to snuggle up indoors with a cup of hot chocolate.  And that could be fine retreat.  But getting out and getting some fresh air, even for just 5 or 10 minutes, can be incredibly energizing.   An infusion of sunshine and oxygen can do wonders for your mind, body and spirit - even on a cold day. 

A study by researchers in Japan found that the Japanese practice of "forest bathing" (basically, spending time in a forest) found that "forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments." 

Another study, by Andrea Faber Taylor and Frances E. Kuo of the University of Illinois, found that a 20 minute walk in a park improved concentration in children with ADHD more than a comparable 20 minute walk downtown or in a well-kept neighborhood.  And, even those of us who do not suffer from ADHD have felt the effects of attention deficit - think of those times when you have been multi-tasking for hours and suddenly cannot seem to focus on anything.

For those of you who remain skeptical of the effects of nature on health and well-being, I've included a few links to the research below - a Google search will turn up many more. 

For those of you who already know the benefits of nature, stop reading and get thee outside!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19568835
http://jad.sagepub.com/content/early/2008/08/25/1087054708323000.abstract
http://www.johnvdavis.com/ep/benefits.htm
http://landscaperesearch.livingreviews.org/open?pubNo=lrlr-2007-2&page=articlese3.html


“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”  -John Muir

Take Time to Saunter

Saunter:  "to walk in a casual manner; stroll."  Synonyms include amble, ramble, stroll, wander, mosey (one of my favorites), and meander. (1) 

When is the last time you felt free to saunter?  To proceed at your own pace, to stop and observe, to step into a place of spiritual connection?  Most of us spend most of our time adhering to schedules, running late, trying to keep up.  What if you could take an hour, a half-hour, or even 15 minutes, and just saunter?

Having just returned from a trip to California which included both Muir Woods and Yosemite National Park, I've been reading up on John Muir, who had a hand in preserving both places.  Here is what Muir had to say about sauntering:

"Hiking - I don't like either the word or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not hike! Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them." (2)

There is some disagreement about whether Muir's etymology of the word is correct, although it does appear in references dating back to at least 1691.  The more accepted theory is that the word derives from the Middle English santren, meaning to muse, meditate, or be in reverie.  

Either way, the word connotes a slowing down, a mindful attention to one's surroundings.  A retreat from the hurry and drama of daily life.  An appreciation of the vastness of the Universe and the long line of time.

I invite you to take some time this week to saunter.  Whether you saunter through the woods, or through an art museum, or through the streets of a bustling city, pay attention.  Saunter reverently. Allow yourself to meander.  Be in reverie. 

Notes:
(1) freeonlinedictionary.com
(2) quoted by Albert Palmer in A Parable of Sauntering:
http://207.114.134.6/john_muir_exhibit/frameindex.html?http://207.114.134.6/john_muir_exhibit/////life/palmer_sauntering.html


Sidebar:
An interesting but irrelevant fact (unless you are from Northern Ireland, in which case it may be highly relevant):  according to urbandictionary.com, the word "saunter" is sometimes used as an expletive in Northern Ireland, with the meaning of "get lost" or "take a hike."  It's fascinating how words can take on such different meanings...  But if someone yelling at you to "saunter" - i.e., get lost - is what it takes to get you to take some time in solitude, consider it done.  Saunter!