Come into the Forest
for a day of
Holistic Experiencing in the Forest
Un-plug
De-stress
Reconnect with Yourself
Listen to your Life
Re-charge
What does “holistic” mean, exactly?
Today there are many different ways people use the word “holistic”.
My use of this word is an expression of the concept that all aspects of ourselves – our minds/thoughts, our bodies and their functions, our emotions and how they affect us, and our spiritual aspect that governs our growth towards ever greater self-expression, “wholeness” and creativity – are interconnected, as are all forms of life.
Our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health are expressions of how we live in our “whole selves”, day after day.
On a very basic level, our bodies need nourishing food for energy, and enough movement to force our lungs to expand and get enough oxygen into the blood and throughout our entire system, to keep our hearts working hard enough so our blood circulates properly, and our lymph system moving so our bodies can efficiently clean out the toxins that accumulate between our cells and are not carried off by the blood.
Our brains rely on our bodies working well enough so they receive enough oxygen and nutrients from the blood, and our brains, too, need to be energized so they can clean out toxins. When our brains are properly nourished and energized, they not only function better in how the brain cells transmit energy between themselves and to the rest of the body (the very basis of how our bodies function), but the quality of our thinking improves. Better thinking in turn allows us to feel good about doing all those things that make us feel better about ourselves and our lives….. and it becomes a positively charged cycle, rather than a negatively charged one, which is, instead, what many of us experience.
Paradoxically, as humans this kind of “positive” activation of our thinking and thus our actions is not always automatic. We can have some personal characteristics such as high sensitivity, which make us very delicate and vulnerable to adverse conditions, and/or have suffered traumas early on that set up painful patterns in our brains and bodies; these can be very difficult to overcome and shift.
But with deliberate work on shifting these patterns they can and do change, and this is where our ability to choose to be “creative”, and literally create an entirely new reality for ourselves than the one we have grown accustomed to over the course of our lives, finds its highest and most exciting expression.
Our emotions are also “energies” that flow through our bodies (transported through our marvelously complex nervous system by neurotransmitters, vibrations and electrical currents of various types); they, along with our thoughts, need to be able to flow through our cells and our bodies in ways that energize us, rather than getting blocked and damaging us.
This requires a collaboration between our bodies and our minds, so our emotions can bring the “juice” to our experiences, in ways that are energizing, manageable and positive.
The Spiritual, or Transcendent aspect of ourselves is that deep inner wisdom that knows what is best for us, and guides us with various “messages” -negative and positive emotions and thoughts, dreams, desires – helping us learn how to align with our greater purpose and ever more Become something a bit more than we are today.
Our Transcendent or Higher Self is that part of us that knows the path that can lead us to healing, to greater inner and outer integration and harmony of our bodies, minds and emotions, so we can ever more grow into “Who we are Meant to Become”.
And as we heal and become stronger, it nudges us forward so we can find our own Place in the mosaic of life, with our own unique gifts to share. (Whether we are aware of it or not, we are actually fulfilling that each and every day, and being nudged along to Be the best version of ourselves that we can be….and even our pain and discomfort is telling us something very important!!)
This inner voice is always leading us onward, and is always yearning for greater expression, creativity, harmony – more Love and Beauty of all kinds.
But here’s the catch:
we have to choose to listen to it.
This is the great conundrum of human life.
We are free to listen – or not!!
But when we do, when we tap into that deep “voice” within ourselves, we find both a sense of direction and a feeling of greater peace, because we can Know, with our minds and our hearts, that our lives truly do have meaning, and our struggles have a purpose.
We can discover that the changes we may be urged to make are not as difficult as they seem – or, even if they require some effort and investment, they are well worth every bit of it.
As we change our thinking and acting and transform ever more of our painful experiences into strengths, our weaknesses into wisdom and compassion, our fears into new abilities to step ever more fully into our lives, not only do we feel way better, but we are contributing in positive ways to our intimate relationships and friendships, our families, jobs and communities.
We are adding positive energy into the pool of Evolution itself.
It does not matter what kind of religion we adhere to – or not – this deeper Truth is something that more and more people are experiencing, in ever more direct, variegated and creative ways.
What is important is that we acknowledge that it is there, and learn how to listen to its wisdom. This requires a conscious choice, and some of our time, energy, and sometimes money – because it requires that we decide to Invest in Ourselves and in Life.
Doing so by working deliberately at harmonizing these various aspects of our individual Living System is a complex thing, as most of us know!
We have all experienced times where one or more of the aspects of our lives has been off kilter. Sometimes this is because there is a conflict within ourselves, or an uncertainty about what direction we want to go in; or, sometimes we are thrown off by external events, like losing a job, a relationship, a beloved partner, family member or pet; or, perhaps we have an accident or develop an illness, and our whole life is thrown into chaos!
Whatever the reason, when we are feeling a little “off” it is always an invitation to go deeper, to listen to what our discomfort is telling us.
Added to this, if we are not careful, our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, compounded by the great amount of time we spend indoors and glued to our “screens”, makes it harder and harder for us to feel fully present in our bodies, minds and emotions.
We have great comforts today, but we need to be mindful about how to balance the comfort and ease of our highly technological lives with the kind of movement, oxygen, natural light, and chemicals emitted by plants and trees – now scientifically proven to be of great benefit to humans, including in how it boosts the immune system – that we need to feel really good in our bodies, minds, emotions, and connected with our Souls.
I have been “Forest bathing” ever since I can remember, long before I knew someone had given “Being in the Woods” a name and scientific validity (the Japanese call it “Shinrin Yoku” – as a culture that has become highly technological and with many people living in cities there, it has become a very important technique!).
As a highly sensitive person (meaning I am one of the 20% who has a very sensitive nervous system – if this strikes a chord with you, check out Elaine Aron’s work), I very early on sensed – meaning I could feel it in my body – the powerful, soothing energies of the forest, and have always made spending time there a priority, because I instinctively knew it was really good for me.
Over time I have combined this instinctual understanding with in my education and training in holistic psychological and existential anthropological practices, and this year I have decided to offer an actual Holistic Experiencing workshop in the forest itself. It feels like a perfect way for me to give you some practical tools to help you really absorb the great energy of the Summer Forest, which will help you not only feel better Now, but will prepare you for the fall and winter, when it can be hard to feel energized, especially in this climate .
In this brief but filling encounter, I will show you some very simple, safe and effective tools will become part of your daily “tool box” for your general wellbeing, happiness, creativity, and prosperity.
Choose the Beauty and Love you can Create – with the help of the Forest!
You can change your wiring, your feelings, your story, how you walk through the world to occupy your special Place …. and the Forest can add a real boost to your process, no matter where you are at today.