Forest Bathing and Life Perspective

Tanya Gill: 00:00:08

Hi friend, I'm Tanya Gill Welcome to lighten up and Unstuck Your What the fuck. Together, we explore the ways through life's stickiness moments, and how to live with more peace, joy, love and gratitude. We're going to talk honestly about what isn't easy so you can discover the light within you that will carry you forward. My friend, this podcast is about you in real life, your body, mind and soul, and the opportunity to not only live your best, but shine, doing it

Tanya Gill: 00:00:49

my beautiful friends welcome to lighten up and unstuck your What the fuck this is a special edition because right now, I am inviting you to be with me where I am. I'm actually sitting on the floor of a forest. I'm leaning against a fallen tree, looking around at the dots of gold and yellow and blue and pink as wildflowers are starting to emerge. And I'm looking up at this glorious tree as its leaves are starting to come out in that fresh, gorgeous new life Greenway. And I just really wanted to share this with you because there's so much that nature gives our mind bodies and spirits. And I'm sure you've heard of forest bathing, or it's actually called Shinrin Yoku and forest bathing or Shinrin Yoku is really about connecting with nature in a really gorgeous way. Broadly, it means taking in in all of your senses, the forest atmosphere. It's not simply a walk in the woods, my friends. It's the immersive experience of your sights, sounds and smells in the forest. I know you're not here with me, so I need to invite you with me. The birds are singing. There are crickets chirping, I can hear children playing in the distance. And as I look I actually am watching a bee land on a wildflower. What a gift. I'm so grateful that you are here today. Shinrin Yoku was actually developed in Japan in the early 80s. And there's a huge body of research around it actually, a lot of the research is actually in Japan and South Korea. And the research actually shows that there are incredible health benefits to being out in nature. Forest environments promote a lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, and lower concentrations of cortisol, cortisol, that stress hormone, it skyrockets under stress. And I know that sometimes it can be so hard to feel an escape from that stress, when life is just going and going and going. So my invitation to you, my friend is to consider finding a forest, finding a park, finding a place in nature, to be to immerse yourself in the sounds. to immerse yourself in the sight, to notice and to smell what is around you. When we have an opportunity to slow down and take in a forest or a park and the beauty that nature provides us it does so much for our physical, mental and spiritual state. When I look around a forest, it's mind boggling to think about the processes and the seasons that it has been through. The tree that I'm actually leaning against right now, with all likelihood was fallen in the early 90s There was a massive flood through this river valley, and many of the trees perished. And yet I look around and around these fallen trees are these gorgeous trees that have persevered through the seasons through Through the changes through the years, and continue to bloom forth, and provide us with shade and light. And the gorgeous environment that we're in. There are studies that show that time in the forest can make a significant difference. And so I did a little nerding out. And, you know, there was a three days study.

Tanya Gill: 00:05:27

I know, it's only three days. But listen to this, there was a 3d study done in 2017, where they took two groups of people. And one group of people did a forest trip for three days, and one group of people did a city trip for three days. And what is interesting in that trip, they noticed that cortisol levels for the people who went to the forest trip decreased adrenaline in urine decreased. And, in fact, these patients were cancer patients. And would you believe that there was an increased expression of anti cancer proteins in three days, for the group that actually went on the forest trip now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that the forest is going to cure cancer. But what I am saying is that the forest has a healing way about it. I personally know that I have to have forest at least once a week, I do nature walks daily, and try to find forest in those nature walks whenever I can. But I have to have real forest at least once a week in order to feel whole. And that's something that's actually evolved over time. But it's that noticing, this space of being in nature is such a gift, because it does offer you an opportunity, should you choose it to slow down. And to notice. My husband laughs at me because when we go for our walks, I'm constantly noticing things like new blooms on trees and and and wildflowers and stopping and just noticing the opening, or the progression or the the space that each of these different pieces of nature, our ecosystem are in in their own time. And the magic of that time is a reminder to us. The thing about it is this we have an amazing ability to move through life and, and not take the space to notice. And when I'm in the forest, when I'm in nature like this, I love to look around and notice the textures, the colors, I mean, how many different shades of green are there. Right now, just with the way the light is hitting some of the blades of grass, or some of these trees, all of the colors, the breeze and the trees and the way the leaves dance. It's all such a gorgeous, immersive experience. And it's really just there waiting for you. The amazing thing about spending some time in nature is that even a couple of hours research has shown can lower your systolic and diastolic blood pressure. And there's research that shows that mood scores around tension or anxiety, anger, hostility, fatigue, or inertia, and even depression and deep rejection can be lowered by having time in nature. My invitation to you is to go out and do it. Go out and spend some time in nature. And when you're having that time in nature, my friend, consider the cycles of life, the seasons of life, the beauty, that is all around you. And it's just doing its own damn thing. I think in life, we try so hard to control. We try to determine the path of our trajectory. We have plans and goals and dreams and aspirations. And we move toward them at the pace that is right for us. And sometimes it doesn't feel like it's happening the way that we want it to. And perhaps the forest is Really beautiful reminder that everything comes in its own time it's gardening season.

Tanya Gill: 00:10:13

If you're planting seeds, you can't pluck that seed and automatically have a gorgeous flower or a tomato or harvest your cucumbers. It takes time it takes nurturing it takes the right environment, it takes water and sunlight and a nutritious soil. And nature's magnificent because it uses the resources around it to continue to thrive, to continue to move through the seasons and to weather the storms. Trees to me are the most magnificent reminder of seasons, the seasons of life, the seasons of growth, the seasons of change, the seasons of rebirth, the forest floor is always changing. Trees reach to the sun, in the most magnificent ways. When they get blocked, they find their way around and looking at this amazing tree that clearly was attempted to be decimated by some kind of natural experience. Maybe it was a flood, maybe it was a windstorm. Either way it's been blown, or toppled. And it is literally almost parallel to the forest floor. And yet, and yet off of it shoot 12345 gorgeous branches, reaching high to the sky tangling with nearby trees, and just gloriously leafing out to create the shade that I'm actually sitting under in this very moment. It's amazing. Now, that tree a few months ago, probably would have looked dead. It was in a season of rest. It was in a season of preparing for this season of growth. And as humans, we have those experiences too. We have to recognize that our own growth and our own experiences take time. There's opportunities to learn, there's opportunities to grow, there are choices to rest. And there are choices to connect, or be in stillness within for ourselves. The seasons of change are quite magnificent. When you look at your own life, I'm not sure where you are in your life. But I actually when this podcast is launched, it will be the day before my 48th birthday. And you know some people have issues around numbers, and I see them as gifts, I'm always reminded I was 33 when John died, he was 36 he didn't have the privilege of celebrating his 3738 or even 48th birthday. And you know, like, life is really frickin short. I'm actually recognizing that my life with all likelihood is probably half over or more. And it's an interesting thing to say Holy shit, my life might be half over or more. But it's also a reminder that we actually don't know when our life is over. And so it's about leaning into the season that we're in. It's about embracing what we have now. It's about making the most of the experience of life as it is. You know, if you, for example, lichen yourself to a tree. If you cut down a tree, you will seal the rings. Those rings signify, we all know it the years of life. Imagine what that tree has been through through each of the seasons. Imagine what it is weathered the storms, the snow, the wind, the predators, even being completely knocked over and continuing to thrive. We have those experiences as human beings as well. And we continue, we continue to go to thrive to grow and to nurture those around us in the process. It's a gorgeous gift that we have. And it's about making the most of the moments. It's about making the most of the seasons and it's about recognizing the growth and change as we move through. Your life, that is the gift, you, my friend are the tree in the forest. Others rely on you. You continue to grow, and you rely

Tanya Gill: 00:15:10

on others. It is the beautiful concept of person and environment or ecosystem that we use with nature. And it all just says, we are one together. Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending my two eldest children's convocation from university. And it was a beautiful experience to see them walk the stage, to see them receive their degrees and to celebrate the season of life that they are in. It made me think back to my own seasons of life and when I graduated from university the first time and then when I graduated from university the second time and, and how each of those experiences were so incredibly different. Because the meaning that I made from those experiences was so different. I was at different points in my life and my first degrees, I was in my 20s. And I was starting my career with my second degree. I was a single parent with two kids and relying so heavily on my village, my beautiful village to support me as I moved through my season of my second degree and started a career in social work. And as we move through life, we recognize that we all need each other in order to thrive. We need each other and we need ourselves and we need to be in a healthy environment. We need to recognize what we are consuming and what we are enjoying and what feels good. And what maybe doesn't, because it's an opportunity to live your best life. This is your life, my friend. Think of yourself as being part of a forest part of, of nature's beauty and how you contribute. And also how in moments of stillness, you can still provide so much to the rest of the world by just being lined up is about your mind, body and spirit. That's why I have this podcast and forest bathing for me is so much about mind body and spirit and, and noticing and also reflecting on my own life and the gifts that it has given me and the challenges that have come and gone the storms that have been weathered. You to have weathered storms you to have experienced tragedy you to have experienced seasons. And God knows COVID was a hell of a season and continues to be a bit of a season in our lives too. But we get through it together. My Love You are a beautiful being you are a beautiful soul. I love you and adore you. You are treasure. Thank you for listening to this podcast. And thank you for considering the season you're in and get your ass out into nature. And notice. I want to know tell me how much you love forest bathing. From my heart to yours. Get out there and Shinrin Yoku girl, my friend, my friend in celebration of my 48th birthday, I have a special gift for you head on over to perfectly imperfect dot WTF and at the top you will see a link to a free coloring book. It is a journal slash coloring book that I created from some of my doodles that is just an opportunity for you to have some reflection. It's a gift from my heart to yours. Go on out there and shine my friend