Experiencing Green - Time in Nature
🌿 Time in Nature Strengthens Body and Mind
Multiple scientific studies have shown that spending time in green spaces — parks, canyons, forests, even gardens — supports physical and mental well-being in measurable ways:
Immune Function & Stress:
• Exposure to forested environments increases activity of natural killer (NK) cells, key components of the immune system, and these benefits can last for weeks after brief “forest bathing” sessions. https://www.nps.gov/articles/naturesbenefits.htm
• Simply being near trees and plants lowers stress hormones like cortisol, reduces blood pressure, and helps calm the nervous system.
Heart Health & Physical Activity:
• Just 30 minutes in parks can improve heart health by lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose levels.
• Green exercise — physical activity outdoors — not only boosts cardiovascular fitness but also enhances mood and cognition more than indoor workouts.
Mental Health & Mood:
• Spending time in nature reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety and promotes well-being, even when the time is broken into short bursts totaling about 120 minutes per week.
• Views of greenery, birdsong, and natural settings restore attention and decrease mental fatigue.
There’s a growing body of research supporting “green prescriptions” as a public health strategy. Doctors recommend time outdoors as an adjunct to traditional medical treatment. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29982151/
💚 Green Exercise: Move Your Body, Lift Your Heart
Walking among the greens — at the beach, through canyons, or along neighborhood paths — is a form of green exercise. Research shows outdoor physical activity:
Increases serotonin and endorphins, aiding mood and reducing anxiety.
Helps regulate sleep via natural light exposure.
Encourages long-term healthy habits because nature settings often feel more inviting than gyms or indoor spaces.
Walking through nature can be gentle, intentional, and heart-healthy — perfect for February’s focus on heart wellness. If you are part of the country blanketed in white, you can hop on an indoor machine to workout and look at pictures of green and nature. It will be almost as good.
💗 The Heart Chakra & Color Green
In yogic traditions, green is associated with the Heart Chakra — symbolizing love, compassion, balance, and emotional healing.
Focusing on green (sometimes green blossoming into pink) as a symbol of the heart enhances mindfulness, emotional connection, and self-awareness — meaningful components of overall wellness. To increase the openness of your heart chakra, perform heart-opening yoga poses like cactus arms back bending, or even laying on a yoga block behind your mid-back and opening your arms. The healing qi gong sound “Haa” is a great heart nurturer that you can chant. And in your massage sessions this month we can add some tuning fork vibrations on your heart chakra. I will be offering this during sound healings. (see below for next events.)
☀️ Sunshine & Green: Nature’s Wellness Duo
Sunlight — especially abundant on clear days in Southern California — works hand-in-hand with greenery to support:
Vitamin D production, linked to immune function and mood regulation.
Circadian rhythm alignment, improving sleep quality.
Combine sunshine and green surroundings — a beach stroll at sunrise, a canyon walk midday, or a park sit-spot — to amplify the benefits for your heart, mind, and immune system. Check out this video on the benefits of both: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ksPzKMJgXs