Live Life In The Slow Lane

Making space in your schedule for a mindful hobby may just be the key to a happier and healthier 2020 – take it from five people who know

- Emma Mayoh

‘Connection with nature improves our wellbeing’

AMANDA VESTY, FROM ALSAGER, FOUNDER OF ANCIENT AND SACRED TREES AND JACK IN THE GREEN RUNS FOREST BATHING AND OTHER MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION SESSIONS

Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, was introduced as a national health program in Japan to tackle stress – that’s how powerful it is. It involves breathing deeply and absorbing the atmosphere of the forest as a way of yielding calming, rejuvenating and restorative effects. Think of it as a walk in the woods with added awareness. It’s scientifically proven benefits include improved immune system function and sleep, higher energy levels, better mood, increased concentration and, of course, decreased stress. It just proves what we have always known; connection with nature improves our wellbeing.

It was something I became convinced of in my twenties. I was attacked and nearly died. While I didn’t ever want to talk about it, my connection with nature helped me get over it. I’d spend all night sitting on top of Cader Idris, in Snowdonia National Park. The land brought me immense peace and healing – it still does.

I’d started in mainstream education but after that worked with young offenders, people with severe psychiatric needs and those looking to tackle stress. Taking people outside to read the landscape, discover trees and their own connections with nature, is powerful. We’re all looking for a connection. This world is so frenetic a part of us too easily goes into hiding. But happy people make the world a better place; happy people are far more likely to take care of themselves, each other and the planet. jackinthegreen.org

TAKE A MOMENT IN NATURE

Whether you’re in your own back garden or Cheshire’s stunning woodland, harness nature’s healing powers