“The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.”
— Zeno, Greek philosopher
10/09/2024
Nature
1hr 02min
In this episode, we talk about our relationship with nature and how it can keep us healthy and happy. At the same time however, we seem to be drifting away from nature and considering ourselves separate to it, viewing it as something to be forgotten as we race towards global urbanisation.
Mr Beard kicks off the conversation with Shinrin-yoku, a Japanese practice of “forest bathing”. Mindfully spending time in forests has been shown to improve both our mental and physical health. Another term for your Druids Exchange vocab list is ‘Friluftsliv’, a term to describe Norway’s favourite outdoor past time – being active in nature spending time doing anything from hiking, skiing, ice-fishing to just enjoying a weekend in a cabin in the woods.
Delving further into nature on an acoustic level, Mr C discusses The Sonic Bloom. A natural phenomenon which links birdsong to the day/night cycle of plants. The morning chirping of birds literally ‘wakes’ plants up and kicks off their photosynthesis, thus in part feeding the rest of the planet.
Our two hosts discuss human’s part in nature and how we are part of a much bigger system of interdependent parts. This idea is often forgotten, and as a species we seem to be sleep-walking into a world where we can no longer readily avail of the wonders nature provides for us. James Lovelock and his Gaia Theory gets a mention.
And to round out this episode, we recount our recent attempt at climbing Mount Brandon. The climb to the summit itself was unsuccessful – nature and the weather had its own plans, which were incompatible with our “schedule”. It served as a good reminder however that nature does not simply bow down to human ego, and how we should consider the bigger picture instead of trying to force our will on everything.
Numerous studies in the U.S. and around the world are exploring the health benefits of spending time outside in nature, green spaces, and, specifically, forests. Recognizing those benefits, in 1982, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries even coined a term for it: shinrin-yoku. It means taking in the forest atmosphere or “forest bathing.”
It comes as no surprise that the Japanese people show a deep connection with nature, given that 70% of Japan is covered in forests. Researchers found that forest bathing trips significantly decreased the scores for anxiety, depression, anger, confusion and fatigue.
For more information on shinrin-yoku and specifically how it benefits our health, visit the Japan.travel website.
Found something interesting discussed in this episode? Chances are, we found it interesting too and we went off and did a bunch of reading online about it.
So why not dive further into the topic! Here are some handy links we think you might like.
Their passion for nature cuts to the heart of what Scandinavians call friluftsliv. The expression literally translates as “open-air living” and was popularised in the 1850s by the Norwegian playwright and poet, Henrik Ibsen, who used the term to describe the value of spending time in remote locations for spiritual and physical wellbeing.
Today, the phrase is used more broadly by Swedes, Norwegians and Danes to explain anything from lunchtime runs in the forest, to commuting by bike (or on cross-country skis when the snow falls) to joining friends at a lakeside sauna (often followed by a chilly dip in the water) or simply relaxing in a mountain hut.
Spending time in nature is known to have many benefits for health and wellbeing. Having access to natural spaces such as beaches, parks and woodlands is associated with reduced anxiety and depression, improved sleep, reduced levels of obesity and cardiovascular disease, and improved wellbeing.
To read what the Norwegian Tourism Board says about this favourite past time, visit their website.
The Sonic Bloom (not to be confused with sonic boom) describes how bird chirps or songs wake up and stimulate plant life normally an hour before sunrise.
Us humans have always loved the sound of bird song, it has undoubtedly inspired our own music and creativity over the millenia. Not only is it soothing and a distinct indicator of a thriving biosphere, the acoustic resonance that a chorus of bird chirps provide, buzzes the plant life and notifies them that the sun is coming and to wake up after their dark cycle.
Another reason why birdsong is very relaxing to humans is because birds won’t sing if there is any danger or predators nearby. Therefore, birdsong implies the absence of danger/predators and we pick up on that subconsciously.
There was a really interesting study done regarding the impact and effect of birdsong vs urban sounds (such as traffic), published by Nature in 2022. The study found that traffic noise soundscapes were associated with an increase in depression. And for birdsong, depression decreased after exposure and anxiety and paranoia significantly decreased after exposure to birdsong.
Today more than half of humanity lives in cities and is exposed to this new evolutionary context. This chapter presents the elements needed to understand the evolutionary potential of humans living in cities, focusing on traits affecting health.
After exploring the various benefits of being out in nature; mood, energy level, immune system function, we can begin to see that a lot of the ailments or flip side effects to these positive states that are shown medically and visibly, have their roots in human beings but various animal species being disconnected from the environments in which they ‘evolved’.
For more information on this fascinating and rapidly evolving field of research, visit the Oxford Academic.
James Lovelock wrote about and conceived of the ‘Gaia Theory’. In this theory, Lovelock talks about Earth being alive and how the biosphere acts in concert to provide the atmosphere that we breathe, the oxygenation of the oceans, the mysteries of the forests and what they do for all terrestrial life. The planet and nature works on cycles, and feedbacks from thousands of processes and mechanisms, from biological and chemical to the physical blowing of the wind and ocean circulation.
As discussed in this episode, we must remind ourselves that we are very much part of nature, rather than something separate and independent to it. As such, we are part of this intricate biosphere and our actions have effects on the rest of nature, as well as the rest of nature having a direct effect on us and our lives in it.
For more on the Gaia Theory, read this detailed report from Harvard University.
Mount Brandon, located in Co. Kerry, is the third highest peak in Ireland standing at 952 metres. The mountain, and range, is named after Saint Brendan, and is the end of a Christian pilgrimage trail known as Cosán na Naomh.
Brandon takes its name from Saint Brendan the Navigator, or Bréanainn, who is said to have been born in what is now County Kerry in 484 AD, and is chiefly known for his legendary voyage in a boat of wood and leather to discover the “Isle of the Blessed”, also called Saint Brendan’s Island. In the story of Brendan’s life, he spent three days fasting on the mountain before his voyage, was visited by an angel, and experienced a vision of “a great land to the west”.
Mount Brandon itself is in the middle of a long and high ridge known as the Brandon Group, which runs north–south for 10 kilometres across the width of the Dingle peninsula. As well as Mount Brandon, the Brandon Group ridge has seven other major classified peaks, including the similarly named Brandon Peak (840m), Benagh 822m), and Faha Ridge (809m), among others.
If you were interested in climbing Mount Brandon, there are many guided tours that can help reach the summit.
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