Wake up to walking

From forest bathing to mindful rambling, the outdoors works wonders for mind and body. Time to fill up on fresh air

- Bethan Andrews

We’re living in crazy, tempestuous times, glued to devices and submerged beneath an information overload.

No wonder then that people are seizing on the power of nature to become calmer, and more present in everyday life.

There has been a rise over the last year in the popularity of forest bathing (tree-hugging isn’t so daft after all it seems). Swinton Park in Masham offers courses in this Japanese practice of immersing yourself in woodland, and people are clamouring to becoming more in tune with nature. Nature therapy has been used for many years by people to find cognitive balance and it has been long known that spending time outside the house in parks and in nature is good for our health.

But it is becoming more accepted now. Research has found that people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature a week are much more likely to report good health and higher psychological wellbeing than those who do not visit nature. Similarly, time spent outdoors has been shown to lower stress levels and blood pressure too, as well as increase focus. Trees naturally give off phytoncides which, when inhaled, have been scientifically and clinically proven to have a positive impact on the nervous system.

One advocate is Isabel Swift, the founder of Leeds-based social enterprise Lemon Balm, an organisation that uses nature and horticultural therapy to help people in need of therapy.

‘We’ve been shouting about it for years, but it’s heartening to see people notice. Health and wellbeing, and nature, are inherently linked,’ she says. ‘It’s a system that we are part of. There is a passive, cortisol-lowering power of natural views and daylight. Plus, getting out and walking in nature allows you to move your body and be active.’