The first World Earth Day started on April 22nd, 1970. Since then Earth Day has evolved into the largest civic event on Earth, mobilising billions of people worldwide across over 192 countries to safeguard our planet.
In the Hoffman Process participants learn to become loving and compassionate to themselves and others by understanding and not condemning the children our parents once were.
Bob Hoffman saw the vindictiveness that we are at times experiencing toward our caregivers as one of the fundamental motivations for our acting out behaviour (the other motivation is our need for love).
There seems to be a correlation between the way we react to our mother and the way we treat our planet. After all, we are calling the Earth “Mother Earth”.
If we feel unloved by our caregivers, it is very difficult to find gratitude in our heart centre for what existence is constantly offering to us. The air that we breath, the food that we need to sustain us, the beauty of the natural world.
The Hoffman Process heals these wounds so that participants can be present to experiencing ‘awe’ in their daily life. In his book ‘Awe – The Transformative Power of Everyday Wonder’ Dacher Keltner defines awe as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world”. Keltner tells us that the experience of awe varies among different cultures, but it is a universal emotion, one accompanied by its own language of chills, tears and vocal bursts, like “oohs” or “whoas.”
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts/item/feeling_the_awe_of_nature_wherever_you_are
Here is a wonderful practise that is becoming more and more popular and has been scientifically researched for its mental health benefits…
Forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku in Japanese, has gained a lot of attention for its many health benefits. While any natural environment can enhance our well-being, there’s a unique allure to the healing power of forests.
Years of research have revealed the profound impact of spending time in forests on our health and well-being. Forest bathing has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and anger, while also strengthening the immune system, improving cardiovascular and metabolic health, improving sleep quality and duration, and boosting overall well-being.
Contrary to popular belief, forest bathing doesn’t necessarily involve vigorous exercise like hiking or jogging. Instead, it’s about immersing oneself in the natural environment, engaging all the senses, and absorbing the therapeutic benefits that emanate from the forest atmosphere.
The health secrets of trees lie in their ability to produce higher concentrations of oxygen compared to urban settings and the presence of phytoncides—natural oils that plants release as a defence mechanism against bacteria, insects, and fungi. Exposure to phytoncides has been linked to reduced physiological stress, lowered blood pressure, and improved heart rate.
In essence, forest bathing offers a profound opportunity to reconnect with nature and harness its healing potential. As we celebrate World Earth Day, let us acknowledge the invaluable role of forests in promoting human health and happiness, and commit to preserving these vital ecosystems for generations to come.
Here’s how you can incorporate forest bathing into your life:
- Find a Suitable Spot: Seek out nearby green spaces like city parks, nature reserves, or botanical gardens.
- Your Inner Compass: Allow intuition to guide you to a forest spot that speaks to your soul. Tune into subtle signals from your body, release expectations, and let nature’s diversity captivate and guide you.
- Indulge Your Senses: Deeply immerse yourself in the forest’s embrace by tuning into your five senses. Behold the beauty, hear the natural symphony, breathe in earthy scents, touch the bark and foliage textures, and savour the forests air.
- Embrace Awe: Awe is not just for rare moments. Feel the vastness of the forest, inspiring wonder, amazement with simple ‘wow’ or a deep, pleasurable sigh.
- Appreciate the Silence: Embrace the tranquility of the forest, seeking out areas devoid of human noise and take moments to bask in the peaceful serenity of the woods. Spend quiet moments with a favorite tree and feeling a sense of belonging to nature.
- Answer Nature’s Beckoning: Don’t let this invitation pass you by. Seize the opportunity to slow down, to breathe deeply, and let nature’s soothing acceptance wash over you, rejuvenating your mind, body, and spirit with its timeless wisdom and boundless beauty.
The forests abound with richness beyond the limits of our senses. Envision a hidden realm beneath our feet where fungi and tree roots entwine, crafting mesmerizing underground networks reminiscent of the divine connections within us. These networks, dubbed mycorrhizal networks, nurture both fungi and trees in symbiotic harmony. Much like the divine essence within us, the fungi provide a nourishing elixir, bestowing vitality to the ecosystem. This sacred bond underscores the need to value and understand it for the well-being and sustainability of our environment.
This year’s Earth Day Theme is Planet vs Plastic.
Apart from getting involved with some of the activities that the Earth Day movement are organising you can simply practise mindfulness by not throwing plastic away in nature and to minimise the purchase of items wrapped in plastic.
All of this becomes effortless when we are ignited in our heart and feel loved and loving toward our natural environment. Love flows when the circle of giving and taking is being respected.
