Being in nature supports our physical, emotional and mental health. This is now widely recognized and supported by more and more research studies.
Being in nature or #naturebeing can be even more powerful!
Spending time in nature supports us to discover our own nature and to find a way to express our true nature in the world.
Our hope is for you to heal, build your resilience and express your own nature so the positive impact you have will be amazing! 😊
We run ‘wanders to experience the wonder of nature’ in London on the first Saturday of every month.
The next one is:
We’d like to have #naturebeing wanders everywhere.
You can start a nature wander near you by joining our supportive ecosystem.
You can join our supportive group. We want to make nature (re)connection a regular practice available to everyone.
Here’s how you can become involved:
lead a nature wander
get creative and bring your local nature connection to others (canva video anyone?)
something completely different which you’re really excited about!
The first step is to join the #naturebeing ecosystem!
The UK government has plans to ensure everyone lives within 15 minutes of green space.
The government adviser for Natural England found:
#naturebeing wants to ensure everyone has the opportunity to (re)connect with nature on a regular basis regardless of:
One way to address this is a virtual wander to experience the wonder of nature.
(Research has shown that watching a nature documentary or looking at images of nature has a powerful effect. It also makes nature much more accessible. So reconnecting through sharing your experiences virtually is welcomed as much as hosting a walk in ‘real life’ nature)
Through joining a group doing (small) wanders near you ensures you hear about the next walk.
Wandering and experiencing the wonder of nature does wonders!
The experience of awe or wonder is a whole new area of science (read more)
Alex Papworth was walking in his local park connecting with nature (as is his regular practice to help give him guidance) when he saw some organisers for parkrun (for those who don’t know they have been organising free runs in your local park since 2004 and have been very successful. Read on to learn how).
He was immediately struck by a question and a challenge – wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a parkrun for nature (re)connection?
As he reflected more and explored parkrun there were several elements that he thought made them so successful (2.7million parkruns and 775 locations in UK):
It gives us a way forward to help us to thrive individually and, therefore, effect greater positive change.
Knowing who you are, respecting this and taking responsibility for your being so that you thrive is the most powerful response to the many crises that we are facing.
You can explore how to do this in a structured way where you are gently supported and guided through the Earthaconter Community’s Tree Journey programme.
Alex Papworth is a cofounder of the Earthaconter Community which is a community interest company that supports people to create positive change through reconnecting to nature and earth to connect more deeply to themselves (find out more).