Nature's palette of mindful gifts
A visit to a forest, walking the dog in the park and any opportunity to pause with plants or gaze at the sky are core to my daily practice of Mindfulness. Opportunities for connection with nature (even lucky bamboo plants on the windowsill!) provide ‘natural punctuation’ in my day.
The medical definition of the word ‘heal’ is to make sound or whole. Dr Norman Doidge in a recent talk on his excellent new book ‘The Brain’s Way of Healing’ said healing is not just a ‘cure’, but a process to restore the whole of the body and mind. To fully embrace wellbeing, holistic awareness is needed. This includes connection to nature and realizing ways to take care of the natural world. A healthy planet is the prerequisite for healthy, happy people.
Richard Louv, in his wonderful book ‘Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder’ says nature is essential for health. He cites a growing body of research into the intellectual, psychological, physical and mental benefits of contact with nature for children.
Richard says ‘Today, the life of the senses is, literally, electrified’. Along with the obvious battery of screens and technological devices, most children spend hours in artificially lit rooms, breathing air pumped through heating and cooling devices. Jane Clark, Professor of Kinesiology, University of Maryland, suggests that there is now a generation of children who are not just raised indoors, but whose early lives are increasingly contained into small spaces: capsules, car seats, high chairs and strollers. There is evidence that time spent in nature (and available natural spaces) is constantly shrinking in the lives of many children. The ‘great aussie backyard’ is disappearing rapidly in many suburbs, as modest houses disappear to make way for super-sized dwellings filling most of the block, with sparse room for nature to make an ornate appearance! Space for grass, dirt and trees for children to climb, play and just be are rarely on the plan.
In Australia we rightly have a quest to liberate chickens from cages in the ‘Set a Sister Free’ campaign. I wonder if our children need a little liberation as well!
Here is some information sourced from ‘Cool Australia’, ‘Planet Ark’ and Richard Louv on the benefits of contact with nature for children:
Nature has been shown to restore the ability to direct attention and improve the processing of information after extended periods of concentration.
A Florida-based study found that environment- based education increased critical thinking skills in high school students.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that children with ADHD and ADD concentrate, complete tasks and follow directions better after they play outside in green settings. The greener the settings, the more improvement they show.
Research has shown a link between body mass index (BMI) scores in children and their access to “green” areas and levels of outdoor play. BMI is often used by health authorities and researchers to indicate healthy weight ranges.
Contact with nature through vegetable gardening at home or school can play a role in promoting healthy eating in children. Food gardening at school offers an opportunity for children to learn about nutrition and supports healthy eating choices.
Natural environments encourage resilience and flexibility and improve balance and coordination in children.
Outdoor play can have an impact on eyesight. Outdoor environments challenge children’s eyes with a diversity of focal points at a wide range of distances from the eye, giving them the stimulation and exercise they need to develop.
A study found that children in areas with trees and vegetation show more creative social play than children in more barren, hard-surfaced or built play areas.
A US study found that stress levels were reduced for children with high levels of nearby nature (nature close to their homes) compared with those with little nearby nature. It also found that children with higher levels of nearby nature had a higher sense of self-worth. High self-worth in children makes them more resilient during life’s stressful times.
Deeper, active contact with nature can provide children with calming and stabilising memories that they can draw on during stressful periods later in life.
Time in nature is time to be present with awe and wonder. Time to experience a lack of boundaries: with endless creative possibilities and a sense of time standing still. It is a precious time to experience something much bigger than ourselves, which can put things into a helpful perspective. David Attenborough said he has never met a young child who does not have an innate sense of this and wonders why this connection can be unlearned. He also said that when we know about something, when we can name something, we care about it. Children need the gift of connection to the natural world. It is a joyful, effortless way for them to experience mindfulness.
With mindful blessings
Janet Etty-Leal