Exercise, Breathwork & Ecotherapy...

Through my own experiences with exercise, breathwork and ecotherapy, I have found huge positive effects on my physical, mental and spiritual health. These benefits have been reported on by many different people and through numerous different studies.

However, I want to explore some connections between the 3 modalities and offer some advice on ways to maximize the positive outcome potential of the time that you dedicate to exercise.

Firstly let me start by telling you that a 30 minute run through the woods is not only a cardio workout, it is also a breathwork or pranayama exercise and a concentrated dose of ecotherapy all at the same time..!

This will come as no surprise to a lot of people as it is becoming a much more accepted fact that every process to do with the human body and mind is far more complex and intricate than current science can fully explain (certainly from the perspective of one discipline alone).

Lets take a quick look at ‘Runners high’. This is a state or physiological sensation that many runners, cyclers, hikers, rowers/kayakers and mountain climbers report and it is a Zen like, meditative state, that is reached after they have been doing the activity for a period of time usually longer than 15 minutes however some people report dropping into this state after even less time.

It tends to be more noticeable when the activity does not require many conscious decisions or actions by the participant, like making a turn or dodging oncoming traffic. For example, running or cycling down a long, straight road, hiking up a long, steady incline or rowing/kayaking across a big open lake are all very repetitive activities. The individual is using muscles in a uniform way, relying on muscle memory to a large degree, which involves little to no conscious thought. Also the breathing rhythm is circular and faster than usual, and the mind is free to drift and enter a trance like state similar to those found in deep breathwork, hypnosis or meditation.

People report entering this state after about 15 minutes or more of doing the repetitive exercise/activity. The good news for those whose running days are over or may just prefer more gentle forms of exercise, is that people who go for regular walks through Nature report these meditative states as much as those doing higher intensity activities.

The physiological benefits may not be quite as numerous with the lower intensity walking, however the meditative, mental and spiritual benefits reported are almost identical. People in both categories report reduced stress, anxiety and depression along with feelings of connectedness and relaxation (all scientifically proven outcomes of time spent in Nature). Both also report experiencing very calm states of mind where solutions to day to day problems regarding work, relationships or any other area of their life, seemingly ‘pop’ into their minds from out of nowhere. This can be seen as the subconscious working and sifting through all of the information that we take in during our hectic daily routines and then presenting it to our conscious mind in clear, bite sized insights.

This doesn’t have to be on your own either. There have been many times when I have gone for a long walk with either a friend, or often my Mum, and after 20 minutes of walking along in relative silence and taking everything in we suddenly find ourselves in a deep conversation about all sorts of topics that don’t necessarily get touched upon whilst in normal everyday life. There seems to me to be an unquantifiable power in Nature to bring to the surface much more fundamental and exploratory questions about ourselves, life, and the world we live in. Something that many others agree upon based on their own experiences in Nature.

The word ‘Meditation’ can still evoke an image of old Rafiki from the Lion King or similar for many, and a lot of us can be put off by the language used when discussing complex mechanisms. This language can be quite different if the explanation is from a scientific or spiritual perspective. I will discuss this division through language in an upcoming blog but for now I just want you to see that this image of meditation can be very limiting, as running, walking, hiking, cycling, rowing, kayaking, swimming, gardening and sitting by a campfire in the woods can all be forms of meditation also (to name only a few).

I have found that a really good way to enjoy this meditative or heightened state induced by exercise is to break up the run, cycle, swim roughly half way with 5-10 minutes at a beautiful spot, a bench overlooking a stunning vista, in the shade of a tree by a lake or the sea, or in the middle of a clearing in a wood or forest with trees surrounding you.

Just give yourself some time to enjoy the feelings of calm and take in your surroundings noticing the trees, the birds, the insects, the clouds and the wind on the water. You can also try closing your eyes to focus more on the sounds, the smells and the sensations in your own body and mind. Be grateful for this time that you have to yourself and enjoy being immersed in the natural environment and allow your mind to wander and see where it takes you…

At the very least, this slight twist on your usual exercise routine will help to cultivate an appreciation of the journey and not just the destination when it comes to exercise or time spent in the great outdoors. However many people report that on top of this it gives them an opportunity to look at their lives objectively and see if they are on the right track with everything. Kind of like stepping outside yourself and looking at your life from someone else’s perspective, instead of being caught up in the confusion of modern life and feeling like you have no control over where your life is heading…

So to summarise, exercising in nature will give you

• All the benefits of the exercise itself

• The benefits of doing a powerful breathing technique but breathing clear fresh air as opposed to stale, recycled, or air conditioned air.

• The numerous benefits of Ecotherapy whilst enjoying the sights and sounds of Nature.

• Vitamin D production being outside in natural sunlight.

• Aromatherapy benefits especially in Spring, Summer and Autumn.

• Exercising outside in the cold can be up to 20% more efficient when trying to burn calories for weight loss.

• If any element of the exercise can be done barefooted then there are also the numerous benefits of Earthing.

Exercise, Breathwork and Ecotherapy can all be done independently of each other and all have numerous health benefits for our physical, mental and spiritual bodies. However finding ways of doing all 3 at once is not only more powerful, it is also more time efficient which is an ever present concern in the fast paced modern lives that most of us have..!

I hope you found this interesting, and if you did then please feel free to share or comment below. Thanks for reading..:-)