Psychologies UK June 2022

ALL-WEATHER | RAIN RELEASE THOUGHTS As you walk, continue your conscious breathing and work on letting go of distracting thoughts. Don’t try to ignore or suppress them, instead, listen, acknowledge and then deliberately let them pass. Keep returning to your breath and what you are doing right there, in the moment. BE AN OBSERVER Now, extend your presence to the new, wet world around you. Notice the smell of petrichor and observe how it affects your mood. Really look at your surroundings and take in the unique qualities rain brings to everything. Feel the droplets on your skin and listen to the meditative sound. Try to find a place in your mind and body where you are accepting of everything around you, internally and REFLECT externally, clinging to nothing. Simply When you’re ready to go back indoors, allow exist, let go and be with the rain. yourself a little time to ease back into normality. Take a hot shower, enjoy a cup of tea or simply sit quietly in contemplation for a short while in a warm room. Reflect on your new experience of rainfall and the positive impact it has had. psychologies.co.uk 35

HUMANS HAVE BEEN walking the earth for millions of years. Until relatively recently in the great scheme of things, we did so mostly with bare feet or in very simple, modest footwear. Harvard University has shown that when we walk without shoes we actually move differently – in harmony with and more sympathetically to our environment – which can often mean far less chance of injury and, surprisingly, better protection for your feet and whole body. Think of your feet like the foundations of a house – get that right and the whole structure will stand strong! ‘The average human foot is wider at the toes and narrower at the heel,’ explains natural BneAcesRsiEties Free your feet and find out how you can reap a plethora of health benefits simply by going shoeless… 36 topsante.co.uk

ANATOMY | BAREFOOT lifestylist, Tony Riddle (tonyriddle.com). ‘But many modern shoe designs are the WHAT A FEELING! complete opposite. This means your feet could be squashed into shoes that change ‘Psychologically, it feels incredible their shape, or they’ve got thick soles that to experience the earth beneath shut off receptors, so can result in a less your feet,’ says fitness expert natural walk and cause problems further up Anna Toombs (trbalance.com). your body, such as tight hamstrings, lazy ‘Think about the first thing many glutes and a weak core.’ people do on a sandy beach – But don’t worry, there’s no need to kick off they get their shoes off asap to your heels in the middle of a restaurant or feel the sand between their toes. ditch your slip-ons in the supermarket. What ‘The feel of different textures you can do is embrace the barefoot ethos as and temperatures adds to any much as possible in and around your home experience. Just as a walk in the and garden – as long as the weather’s ok. countryside can be better than By spending more time barefoot or even trudging around a concrete city switching to so-called ‘barefoot shoes’, such on a grey day, it’s much more fun as the eco-friendly Vivobarefoot Primus Lite to feel mud, grass and gravel III. (from £110, vivobarefoot.co.uk), for some under your feet than the of your daily activities, you can monotonous inside of a shoe!’ help free your feet and trade any health niggles for a lean, defined physique and a stronger, healthier posture, just as HEALING nature intended! FROM YOUR SOLE Barefoot walking gives you a direct connection with the earth, THE BIOMECHANICAL BENEFITS and this element of grounding can ‘I go barefoot as much as sensitive and they have a healing effect on your body. There’s an increasing amount of research being possible,’ says Anna. are equipped with carried out in this area. Martial artists and yogis have recognised the importance of earthing ‘I’m nearly always barefoot a complex array of connection for thousands of years. ‘By simply removing your shoes and touching in my house or around the nerves to relay signals base with the earth you can start to reconnect and rewire pathways in your garden. I recognise that it’s back to your brain, but brain that have been waning since certainly not the social shoes dull this feedback. you started wearing shoes as a baby,’ says Tony. norm to be barefoot in all If you begin to spend time situations, but it’s good to in bare feet, you’ll notice do it as much as possible,’ how your balance and explains Anna. proprioception (sense of ‘Your feet are incredibly body position) improve.’ WORDS: LARISSA CHAPMAN. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES. EACH FOOT HOW YOUR FEET WORK IS MADE UP OF... Feet have 200,000 exteroceptors alter your posture to protect 26 – highly-tuned sensors in your soles against injury. All the while, to help you tune in to surroundings. your brain makes subtle micro- bones ‘Your feet have the ability to mould, adjustments to the shapes your 33 grip, grab and switch from softness feet make over varying terrain, joints to tension and stiffness in a not only to minimise millisecond,’ says Tony. the risk of injury, but also 100 ‘Terrain information from the to maximise the efficiency muscles exteroceptors in your feet is used of your movement.’ See to adjust your joints, core and other p16 for info on your muscles and tendons, as well as foot type. psychologies.co.uk 37

W O ...If you go down to the WORDS: CATHY STRUTHERS. FOR MORE ON ALAN DOLAN’S where in BREATHING SPACE RETREATS, SEE: BREATHGURU.COM. nature, you’re sure of a big boost PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES, SEASONS, SHUTTERSTOCK. to your wellbeing. Find out why the great outdoors is the best mind-body medicine and where to get your fix. 38 topsante.co.uk

LOCATIONS | INTO NATURE THE SOOTHING SMELL Time among of pine trees, the calming the trees brings effect of an ocean view, the beautiful sunset that feelings of can move you to tears… calm we’ve all felt the power of nature. But a groundswell of research Feel the intriguing reasons for this is is now showing that spending time forest the antibacterial phytoncides in the great outdoors gives you more we breathe in when in a forest. than just a good feeling – it has real, Forests have been grabbing Plants – particularly pine measurable benefits, both mental and health headlines in the past trees – emit large amounts physical, that add years to your life. couple of years thanks to of airborne particles that Japanese research into encourage your immune ‘Scientists are quantifying Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest system’s defences, and activate nature’s effect not only on mood bathing’. Its popularity has your parasympathetic nervous and wellbeing, but also on your spread into the UK so system, the rest and digest ability to think – to remember, plan, much so that Center Parcs’ part of your nervous system. create, daydream and to focus – refurbished Sherwood Forest as well as on your social skills,’ spa has a dedicated forest TAKE A BREAK says Florence Williams, author bathing area, where you can of The Nature Fix (Norton). stroll in the woods and enjoy Spending time among trees treetop saunas! gives the cognitive portion of But, the more everyday your brain a break from the technology tends to dominate the In studies that looked at drain of multi-tasking. When way we navigate modern life, the walkers’ wellbeing when they your mind overloads, it can less likely we are to tap into the returned from a woodland cause attention fatigue, which sense of wellbeing so readily stroll, they were found to have makes it difficult to focus, but available to us in the wild. lower blood pressure and you can help your brain refresh fewer adrenaline-triggered by practising a little ‘forest The average Brit now spends more time stress responses. One of the meditation’. Notice the using technological devices than they do sounds, smells and sights of sleeping – let alone exploring, socialising or the forest, while allowing your taking time to ‘just be’ in the great outdoors. inner dialogue to fall silent. ‘We don’t experience natural environments enough to realise how restored they can make us feel,’ says Florence. THE NATURE EFFECT With science exploring the positive impact the wild has on our brains, the ‘nature effect’ is now a hot topic. And the findings are hard to ignore– while even tiny ‘nature snacks’ have been shown to boost wellbeing, if you seek out longer forays into nature – for example an extended weekend in the wild or a short rural retreat – you’ll reap even bigger benefits. The Japanese study mentioned in the next article showed evidence of a ‘three-day effect’. After people spent this amount of time in a forest, their levels of killer white blood cells – so-called because they attack infections – soared by 50 per cent, and their heart rates also lowered. No matter how much of a nature fix you opt for, and no matter where you do it, there are some serious health benefits to be had. Ready to re-wild yourself? Then it’s time to step outside... psychologies.co.uk 39

Pa rk Don’t under- Head for something vast that transcends your estimate the the hills understanding of the world – leads power of the people to think less of their own Big, goosebump-inspiring views entitlement, and more of others’. life park! Even make people feel more inclined to It may also boost your defence the smallest help someone in need, according system. Like with the forest bathing ugget of to researchers from the University of study, researchers linked the awe we California. They found that awe – the feel when touched by the beauty of ure can feeling of being in the presence of nature with fewer inflammatory proteins called cytokines, which sh serious benefits your immune system. benefits to those who make time for ‘The fact that awe, wonder and beauty promote lower levels of it. Simply being in green spaces – in cytokines suggests the things we do to experience these emotions fact, just looking out of a window at – including a walk in nature – have a a natural scene – can diminish stress and boost memory and concentration. Researchers from the University of Michigan, in the US, found that students performed better in memory and attention tests after they took a walk in a park, compared to those who walked through the city streets. In a Finnish study, city dwellers who strolled for 20 minutes through an urban park reported significantly more relaxation than those who strolled in a city centre. But if you live in an urban area, there are still benefits. Try tweaking your daily habits so you consciously seek out nature more. You could vary your commute so you walk through a park, seek out routes with trees, and enjoy the natural (or otherwise) sounds around you. CALM AND CONNECTED A grassy park is a great place to kick off your shoes. Walking barefoot maximises sensitivity of the 200,000 nerve endings in your feet, helping your whole body to function better and encouraging you to feel more calm and mindful (see p37). Of course you have to pay more attention if you are barefoot, so that you don’t step on anything nasty. This means your mind is less likely to wander, making it easier for you to be present in the moment. 40 topsante.co.uk

LOCATIONS | INTO NATURE direct influence upon health and life REWILD IN A WEEKEND expectancy,’ says study co-author, psychologist Dacher Keltner. ● QUIRKY CRAFT IN treetops as you relax in The THE LAKE DISTRICT: From Forager’s Cabin, a rustic LOOK AROUND YOU raku pottery and willow secluded treehouse sculptures to wood carving, in Powys, Wales, complete Being in the hills also gives you the there’s a unique course for with two decks, an indoor opportunity to look up and cloud you in the great outdoors. wood burner and outdoor gaze. Lie on your back and watch the See: quirkyworkshops.co.uk chiminea, plus rustic hot tub. clouds change and morph above Enjoy outdoor cooking on the you. Pretend you’re a child again and ● YOGA BY A WATERFALL: fire bowl in the evenings or flex your imagination, looking for Set in magnificent scenery of simply listen to the sounds pictures in the clouds. Soft, drifting hills, lochs, rivers and forests of nature. Find secluded clouds are also a great focus for nestles Ecoyoga, a rustic, treehouses and other unique some outdoor meditation. Simply off-grid retreat near Argyll, retreats at canopyandstars. watch, notice and join the clouds Scotland. There are no yoga co.uk in their natural state of flow. classes, but you can practise in and around the studio and ● STELLAR STARGAZING: enjoy solar-powered hot tubs. Officially the best place From £760 for a self-catered in England to enjoy the cabin for two. See ecoyoga. heavens, Northumberland org International Dark Sky Park is Europe’s largest area of ● COASTAL WALKABOUT: protected night sky. Visit the Explore the wild and Kielder Observatory and stay spectacular South West in the Posh Huts at Kielder Coastal Path near Prawle, Water with woodland or river Devon, and learn about the views and wood burning edible and delicious food stoves to keep you cosy at available and the abundance night. See: poshhuts.com of wildlife. Forage, fish, wild camp and wild swim. See wildwise.co.uk for more on this and other events. ● BAREFOOT WALKING: Relax and enjoy the woods from a luxury Book a barefoot ramble with treehouse hideaway. an inspirational guide, Cumbrian shepherdess Alison O’Neill. Cross wildflower meadows and take a dip in a waterfall. Alison offers different events and makes and sells a range of woollen products. See shepherdess. co.uk. ● SLEEP IN A Go rambling TREE CANOPY: with a Cumbrian Unwind and listen to the wind in the shepherdess. psychologies.co.uk 41

GVeItTsAomMeIN N The professor behind the concept of forest bathing takes us on a deeper dive into how nature is so good for your wellbeing. AS WE EXPLORED revolution, that particular history is of woodland in his home country of WORDS: KATHERINE WATT. PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES. in the previous only 200 to 300 years old, meaning Japan. His studies showed just how article, every time humans have spent 99.99 per cent of beneficial the stress-lowering effects you head out for a their history living in nature. Your of being among the trees were for walk you’re treating brain, body and even genes are people’s health. ‘As well as lowering your body and brain adapted to nature, but we now live blood pressure for five days after to a spot of ecotherapy. Whilst that in an artificial environment.’ the walk, the improvements in sounds like some pricey new spa immune function continued for experience, ecotherapy – the term for This can lead you into a state of a week afterwards,’ he says. the healing benefits of spending time overstimulation and pressure that in the great outdoors – is easily causes your body underlying stress A BREAK FOR YOUR BRAIN accessible and absolutely free! without you even realising it. When you walk through nature and ‘Human beings have existed for ‘In recent years, stress-related purely focus on what you can see, around seven million years,’ explains diseases have become a social hear and feel there, it relieves your Professor Yoshifumi Miyazaki, author problem on a global scale,’ says brain from the daily multitasking of Shinrin-yoku: The Japanese Way of Professor Miyazaki. that it’s used to. This is how Forest Bathing for Health and Relaxation ecotherapy calms and renews your (Aster). ‘Considering urbanisation THERAPY OF NATURE focus in the same way that a session coincided with the industrial of meditation would. Man-made So, the professor devised ‘Forest Bathing’ – inspired by the abundance 42 topsante.co.uk

LOCATIONS | INTO NATURE landscapes on the other hand MAXIMISE YOUR MEANDER Did you will stimulate your brain, but not know? replenish exhausted mental resources, In the Japanese studies, forest walkers according to research undertaken by focused on taking in all the colours of ● Even a short time spent the University of Exeter. the cherry blossom or leaf foliage, in nature can give your sitting solo while mindfully sipping mood a boost, so head In nature, without interference from tea, or feeling the warmth and texture various emotional or physical stress of the trees themselves. Wherever you outside daily – even if it’s responses – no matter how subtle – walk, just tune in to what personally just for five minutes. See you’ll not only have clearer thoughts helps you feel good at the time. This and better physical health; you’ll feel could mean a walk with no particular p8 for more on how happier and sleep more soundly, too. destination in mind, a lazy cloud- walking clears your mind. gazing stroll as you focus on your ‘When you come into contact breathing, or simply enjoying time ● Walks near moving with any kind of nature, your body away from your phone. water increase levels of automatically unwinds pent-up the feel-good hormone tension without you even noticing,’ Before you know it, you’ll be serotonin. Water produces says Professor Miyazaki. ‘This simple combining the physical advantages of act helps to regulate your nervous walking with the meditative, mindful negative ions, which system, promoting a healthier balance benefits. Learn more on how to tune positively react with the between activation and relaxation.’ into senses as you stroll on p46. oxygen you breathe. See p26 for more on the benefits of blue space. ● If you’re in an urban area, apps such as Walkit and Hikideas can guide you to the ‘greenest’ route. ● Phytoncides are essential oils emitted by wood and plants, which boost your immunity. psychologies.co.uk 43

WWAAYLTKOYOBLUISRS With a little focus, you can boost the mental benefits of your walk even further by incorporating moving meditations. NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE focus on physical health, some use visualisation to lost, said JRR Tolkien, and he was harmonise body and mind, others are more free-form.’ right. A gentle stroll helps you feel calm, collected and present. And Walking meditatively is as relevant and effective when you walk with meditative today as it ever was. In a recent report from purpose – reflecting on the beauty UK mental health charity MIND, it was revealed of nature and taking time just for you – you’ll return that 94 per cent of people found an improvement feeling more grounded and, ultimately, happier. in their mood after spending time reflecting in the great outdoors. Walking meditations have been used for centuries and are rooted in Buddhist, yogic and Taoist teachings. It doesn’t even need to be a long walk for you to feel ‘Different traditions have different ways of doing the benefits. Wherever you are across the country, no the practice,’ says Live and Dare meditation teacher matter how much time you have, you can always find Giovanni Dienstmann (liveanddare.com). ‘Some walks a few minutes, or maybe longer, to put one foot in front of the other and feel uplifted. 44 topsante.co.uk

WELLBEING | MENTAL HEALTH If you have 5 minutes… If you have 30 minutes… CREATE POSITIVITY WALK MINDFULLY It might not seem like much, but just five minutes of Even if you only have half an hour for lunch, it’s plenty being out in the great outdoors can have impressively of time to take a mental pause and connect fully to the positive effects on your mind. More than 1,000 people great outdoors. ‘Taking a more mindful walk helps to studied by the University of Essex said that their mood reduce your cortisol levels and boost your mood,’ says and self-esteem was significantly higher as a result of psychologist Emma Kenny (ekenny.co.uk). ‘A lot of us are this short space of time spent outside. so busy – and distracted by electrical devices – that we rarely have enough time to recalibrate. But a mindful What’s more, this is all the time it takes to fit in a short walk helps you be happy in the here and now.’ walking meditation to further elevate these good feelings. The Taoist ‘ball of energy’ meditation focuses on the flow HOW TO WALK MINDFULLY: of energy within your body known as chi. It helps draw out positive feelings within you, putting a spring in your • Mentally scan your body and acknowledge what you step and lightening your mood for the rest of the day. feel and where. Perhaps there are aches or niggles – turn your focus away from them and let them go. TRY THE BALL OF ENERGY MEDITATION: • Next, move on to your mind. Notice feelings that come and go. Don’t be tempted to divide them into ‘good’ or • Start walking to the rhythm of your breathing – for ‘bad’ – accept that they’re passing through your mind example, breathe in for three footsteps, then out for three. instead of dwelling on or challenging them. You could breathe in for up to six or even 10 seconds – • Start to walk slowly and keep noticing things around whatever you’re most comfortable with. you. Can you see anything you’ve overlooked before? Be • As you walk, look around you and absorb the energy like a tourist, even if you’ve walked the route hundreds of and promise of nature. times. Marvel at the landscape or the buildings – even the • Start to feel the energy being pulled into your stomach, most mundane office block has beauty if you look for it. specifically the space two inches below your navel. Focus • Keep accepting, and feeling grateful for, everything on the happy, warm feelings that this brings. you see and feel as you walk in a leisurely way. • As you breathe out, visualise this energy expanding to • After your walk, note down something you felt a ball around your body. You can take this ball of positive particularly thankful for and put it in a jar. At the end energy into the rest of the day with you by closing your of the year, if you’ve walked like this regularly, you’ll eyes and revisiting your walk. be able to track what a positive difference it’s made to your long-term happiness. psychologies.co.uk 45

If you have 1 hour… ENGAGE YOUR SENSES Make the most of your surroundings by tuning in to all of your senses as you stroll. ‘Start acknowledging what emerges from your walks,’ says Clare Barry, founder of Urban Curiosity – a wellness and creativity company (urbancuriosity.co.uk). ‘Notice a smell or sight, and then let it fall away with each breath and footstep.’ ENJOY SIGHTS, SOUNDS AND SCENTS: • Set off at a steady pace. You want to elevate your heart rate, but stroll rather than power walk. Now, start to focus on each sense in turn. • Follow the motion of your footsteps as your heels hit the ground then roll through to your toes. Pay attention to the feeling of the ground beneath you. • Notice the air on your skin and the warmth of sunshine on your cheeks. Stretch out your hands to engage your fingers too, feeling the air between them. • As you walk past flower-filled hedgerows or people’s gardens, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Notice the light floral fragrances mingling with each other. Does the scent change as you pass different displays? • Admire the numerous species of blooms. How many different shades of red, pink or purple can you see? How many different types of petal shape or form? How do they make you feel? • Listen to how the rustle of plants ties in to other noises, such as birdsong, garden machinery or laughter from people nearby. What joyful emotions do the different sounds evoke? • As long as it’s not private land, you could even take a keepsake of petals, or a nice stone or leaf, to keep a reminder of your sensory walk and the positive feelings you experienced. 46 topsante.co.uk

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