Learn about green exercise and ecotherapy.
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Great episode, Rox. Interesting idea that exercising out in nature has even more benefits than exercising inside. But of course it makes sense.
Loved the framing and audio today. Missing you and Lexi Girl.
Great thoughts. Nature is so healing its funny how removed we can become from this gentle gift in our fast paced society.
We try to do a hike in the mountains out behind our house every morning. Sometimes we listen to our IPOD’s but I have been trying to wean off of doing that so that I can enjoy the subtle rhythms of nature. I notice that I can get addicted to stimulation and information. Also, when I worked with veterans recovering from PTSD we used nature retreats as a healing tool.
Sure! It would be fun to collaborate on doing a video about this topic. I think its a great idea that you want to bring green exercise into workplace as a relaxation tool.
How about if I skype you tomorrow?
Aloha kaua Rox – I certainly get a lift from watching Beach Walks. Partly that is my response to seeing an attractive beach, partly it is because it is Hawai’i (and I have a strong, personal connection to Hawai’i) and partly it is because you come across as a pleasant person. I would find it hard to separate out the contribution of each and I guess the effect is more noticeable because I live in a town.
The Essex study is part of the relatively new area of environmental psychology, for which I have taught a few classes. It’s about the way environments influence us and has a particular emphasis on therapeutic influences.
If you are interested in the topic you could chase up this article which shows that the more ‘immersive’ the virtual environment, the more effective it is at reducing stress:
de Kort, Y.A.W., Meijinders, A.L., Sponselee, A.A.G. & Ijsselsteijn, W.A.
(2006). What’s wrong with virtual trees? Restoring from stress in a mediated environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 26, 309-320.
dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2006.09.001
I wonder if the effect of viewing nature passively (like a poster on the wall as you mentioned, or Beachwalks) is different depending on your connection to the nature image. I like Beachwalks visually so much because I’ve been to Hawaii and some of the places you shoot. I don’t think I’d have the same reaction to say, the desert, which is also beautiful.
And many people like dogs. Seeing Lexi getting a scratch in today’s episode was cheering.
A recent news article (link below) talked about people who experience empathy just by seeing someone else receiving a touch (receiving kinesthetic info from visual stimuli). That may play into what you are saying about green exercise, and in some degree, why Beachwalks is so relaxing. We can all imagine the feeling of sand on our feet as you’re walking, or what the water might feel like.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070617/hl_nm/empathy_dc_1
p.s., as secret cameraman said, the framing on today’s info was TERRIFIC!
This makes complete sense to me. Last year I had to deal with a sick and dying parent and was totally stressed about it. I was drawn to walking in a beautiful green park near my home in order to find some peace of mind and a little tranquility. It was like I was drawn to this park like steel to a magnet. I had to have this connection to nature and some open sky and space. Getting close to a bit of nature was one of the ways that I coped with my situation.
p.s. I just found Beach Walks today and I must say that you and your show are totally charming and delightful. I will definitely be coming back for more Walks with Rox.