We all know how good being in nature makes us feel. The peaceful sounds of the forest, the scent of the trees, the fresh, clean air and the sunlight piercing through the leaves. Being in nature is very grounding - restoring our mood, giving us energy and vitality, refreshing and rejuvenating us.
Being in the forest brings me home, to where I grew up as a child - on beautiful farmland surrounded by forest in Canada. My mother and I used to walk these forests all the time - spring, summer, autumn, winter, sun, rain, or snow. Each time being a different experience or something new we would discover. We used to get so lost (both having a poor sense of direction!) until my father would drive to the forest edge with the tractor so the sound would guide us back home. We used to laugh until we almost wet our pants with how much disbelief we had getting lost as if it was a surprise every time. Bird watching, animal tracking, watching the deer graze, wolf encounters, squirrel chasing, wild herb and berry foraging, mushroom picking, leaf catching, tree admiring - and the list goes on. In Canada, watching the seasons change was something special. It wasn't until I moved overseas that I realised how amazing this natural phenomenon was. The four seasons are truly so different and to witness the changing landscapes right before your eyes is magical. You really get to experience the force of Mother Nature when you stop and observe.
Forest bathing is an ancient tradition and the Japanese even have a term for it "shinrin-yoku". This is not exercise like hiking or jogging, it is simply immersing in nature, taking in the surroundings with your senses and connecting with it.
As the years go on and the world becomes more populated, the de-forestation more prevalent, the industrialisation more damaging, never have we been so disconnected with the natural world.
What percent of your life do you spend indoors?
A simple break from your day to unplug from work and technology to slow down can have an amazing positive impact on your mind, health and soul. Use your five senses - listen to the birds and the sounds, hear the breeze rustling through the leaves, see the different colours of nature and notice the sunlight piercing through the trees, smell the forest scent and natural aromatherapy of the surrounding bark, plants, trees and flowers, taste the freshness of the pure clean air as you breathe, touch the trunk of a tree and feel it's alive energy, dip your hands or feet in a stream, take off your shoes and press your feet into the earth, lie on the ground - take your time. Research suggests a minimum of two hours per week is all that's needed to improve overall wellbeing.
LILAS was designed to bring nature to you. If you can't make it outside as much as you'd like, create a ritual with our Skinfood Set. Burn some Natural Incense or Sandalwood to fill your space with Earthy scents, or have a shower or bath with our Rainforest Multi Bar to transport you into nature with it's Australian plant oils.Follow your intuition for what your body needs.