Nature and Me
I grew up in the countryside until I was 10 years old. In a house with no close neighbors, perched on a green, wooded hill. It was my whole world—it held ever-changing mysteries, and every day was an adventure.
Years—many years—later, here I am back in the countryside, after decades spent in cities, including capital cities. And I’m alive again. I’m returning to the essence of life; I savor the air as if it were a fountain on a summer afternoon; I watch the worlds the clouds sketch across the sky; I listen to the sounds—all the sounds—from the tractor to the birds; I see the infinite subtlety of the shades of color. The moment then opens up, and I can settle into it with the same sense of relief as when you walk through your own front door after a very long journey. I’m back. I am. At last.
The Experience of Nature as a Source of Happiness
The connection to nature is powerful—I would even say it is necessary. For it is there that the sense of separation that causes us all—as human beings—to suffer dissolves. In Buddhism, human suffering—meaning our chronic dissatisfaction with our lives as they are—is caused by the mistaken idea that we are separate from everything, from others as well as from the world. Yet in reality, we are an integral part of the web that constitutes the universe; there is no “me” and “the rest,” but rather a fundamental interdependence. We struggle to be truly happy because we find it hard to see that we are made of the same space, that we are in a continuous dance with the universe, that we are carried by the fabric of life. Connecting with nature means stepping into that dance and returning to who we truly are: a field of consciousness brimming with potential and love for life.
We’ve all experienced it: after a somewhat arduous hike along a mountain trail, we reach a pass, and there—wow—the space opens up to infinity, and so does our heart. The moment is simple, yet everything is there. The sense of wholeness that we usually seek in our material or intellectual possessions is immediate. There’s nothing to say, nothing to do. Life bursts forth with its own power, and we are there to experience it.
The experience of connecting with nature is often more subtle: the song of a bird that interrupts our mental chatter, a flower growing between two cobblestones that reminds us of everyday magic, the wind rustling through the leaves of a tree that clears away our current worries. If we are fully aware of them, then these unspectacular experiences have the same effect: they fill us up and touch our hearts. These moments are fleeting but can be deliberately cultivated, opening us up to another way of being—one that is healthier and more harmonious.
Ecotherapy—Finding Ourselves Through Nature
That is what ecotherapy—or “nature therapy” in English—offers, and it’s what I’m currently training in. It is a very broad field of study that incorporates multiple dimensions: physical movement, meditation, contemplative exercises, the creative arts, and much more. Its purpose is simple: to restore our connection with nature for greater well-being. Ecotherapy has proven its worth among our Anglo-Saxon neighbors, where it is highly developed. The University of Derby has an entire department dedicated to it; I chose to study it with Caroline Brazier, whose method is based on Buddhist psychology (1), and Stephen McCabe, who has launched numerous ecotherapy programs in Scotland.
What is ecotherapy?
Ecotherapy is a practice, just like meditation or yoga. It involves training—whether daily or during a retreat—to reconnect with the natural world in the broadest sense: trees, air, earth, plants, minerals, animals, etc.—which is, in fact, always there somewhere, even in an urban setting. The exercises can be very simple—grounding practices similar to mindfulness meditation, for example—or more elaborate—spending several days alone, immersed in a natural environment. The ones I plan to introduce during my retreats are both simple and powerful, aiming to reconnect us with our bodies as they interact with nature, to relearn how to see the space around us, to rediscover our childlike creativity, and to dare to settle into the heart of life with a deep sigh of relief. I focus on five main areas:
- The senses—harmonizing with nature through our sensory perceptions.
- Emotions—feeling alive through the emotions and sensations that nature provides.
- Beauty—experiencing beauty in the natural world.
- Meaning—nature gives meaning to our lives.
- Compassion—caring for nature and taking action on its behalf.
Why “therapy”?
The word “therapy” may intimidate some and appeal to others. This is not therapy in the clinical or psychological sense of the term; rather, “eco-therapy” should be understood as a process of discovering another dimension of our being—one that is more serene, more authentic, and more balanced because it is in harmony with the intrinsic values of our planet. Studies (2) are clear on this point: contact with nature promotes well-being, helps foster lasting mental health, combats depression and anxiety, and breaks the cycle of isolation. For we are never alone when we know how to place ourselves back at the heart of the present moment, within the web of life. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk living in France, spoke of “interbeing” to describe this network of interdependence that unites us and flows through us, and which manifests fully in the natural world when we know how to reconnect with it:
Being in touch with the reality of the world means being in touch with everything around us, including the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms. To truly be in touch, we must step out of our shells and look clearly and deeply at the wonders of life
Nature Reconnection Retreat
Explore Training is organizing a nature reconnection retreat that will include, among other activities, ecotherapy practices. It will take place from June 12–16, 2024, in the magnificent Freissinières Valley, in the Ecrins National Park, 3 hours from Aix-en-Provence. I look forward to sharing these practices that bring me peace and joy every day. I also offer individual coaching in ecotherapy and mindfulness—just contact me to schedule a free initial consultation.
Notes
(1) The pursuit of harmony between humans, nature, and all living beings is at the heart of Buddhist wisdom. With its teachings centered on the interconnectedness of all beings, harmony with nature, and true peace, Buddhism offers a fundamentally ecological vision.
(2) Source: Nature Connectedness Research Group: In a systematic review of 50 research studies involving 16,396 people, we investigated the links between their connection with nature and two types of happiness—feeling good and functioning well. We found that people who are more connected to nature tend to have greater eudaimonic well-being—meaning they are functioning well—and, in particular, have higher levels of self-reported personal growth.