For those of us living in Europe and North America, a ‘Western’ approach to medicine often dominates the way we think about health. This ethos has tended to treat environment and body as separate entities, and focused on scientific and technological advances to combat disease and promote good health.
Yet a long history of more holistic approaches also exists. For example, across Asia ‘Eastern’ medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine in particular, relies instead on ancient records, herbal remedies, and considers body and environment to be spiritually intertwined.
East meets West
These contrasting views on health can often seem in conflict with one another, but new perspectives suggest they might also converge, overlap, and complement each other in exciting ways, especially when it comes to the links between nature and wellbeing.
Take for example, the richly immersive practice of sound healing, which embraces the Taoist emphasis of a synergy with nature, and the broader notion that natural processes are inherently restorative. Practitioners of sound healing often include natural sounds in their sessions, which through the use of gongs, singing bowls, and tuning forks, create sound baths that aim to foster relaxation by feeling music as much as listening to it. And in a perfect example of east meets west, early evidence suggests these sessions might be a particularly effective way to reduce anxiety.
In a similar vein, the ancient practice of yoga, emerging from early Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist scriptures, embodies a doctrine that harnesses movement, mediation, and breathing to disengage the mind from suffering and create a deeper bond with the universe. Recent evidence suggests that combining yoga with environmental education might form an effective way to rekindle this spiritual connection with nature – a trend that has never been more important.
Nature x Mindfulness
When it comes to mindfulness and meditation, the symbiosis between yogic practices and the natural world is gaining increasing attention.
At first glance, the effortful processes of discipline, practice, and focus common in meditation might seem at odds with the effortless notion of soft fascination that powers nature’s ability to restore attention. Yet these approaches overlap in several areas. For example, both techniques aim to reduce typical thought processes and allow the mind to rest, regain the ability to focus, and enter a tranquil state.
There are several ways that nature can be integrated into meditation and mindfulness: certain aspects of nature might be used to guide a session, or form the focus of observation and contemplation.
And there is growing evidence that performing mindfulness in natural settings can enhance wellbeing outcomes. This effect is particularly exciting when it comes to digital forms of nature, which can make mindfulness training less demanding and increase the effectiveness of mindfulness programmes by reducing feelings of depression and stress.
But perhaps the most important contribution of these approaches in the 21st century is their ability to remind us that we are a part of nature, or as William Van Gordon and colleagues put it:
Our minds and bodies are embedded within the natural world such that when we breathe in, nature breathes in with us, and when we breathe out, nature also breathes out.
This collection of portals has been chosen to remind us of that process, effortlessly connecting our minds to the world around us, and forming the perfect companion for your next sound bath, yoga, or meditation session.
