What do you feel when you look at the two images above? Does the image on the left inspire imagination and invoke feelings of mystery, fascination, awe, surprise and wonder? What does the image on the right invoke feelings of, and are these the same as the image on the left? The image on the right, although also of nature, portraits a tamed, cultivated, more predictable and less threatening (from things that may be hiding in the bush) environment. This what I call “Neature” and many people feel comfort in taming nature – neatly trimmed hedges, uniform mown lawns, well defined garden bed edges and structured gardens.

If I asked you to describe your relationship with a family member, partner or friend, you would probably tell me something about the special connection that you have with this person. In doing so you might describe the emotional attachment that you have for that person including your trust, respect, care, love and admiration. You may also describe the bits that you feel uncomfortable about that person. We could equally use these emotions to describe a relationship or connection with nature.

Some years ago I was sitting in one of the large walk through aviaries at the Alice Springs Desert Park. The longer I sat, the more animals I saw, including birds, reptiles and insects. As I sat there a family(I am guessing city based) with 2 children entered the aviary and began to slowly walk through. Their eyes were darting from the ground to the roof of the aviary looking for the animals that were sign posted to be there along the track. The children commented “this is boring, there is nothing here, let’s go dad” after a minute or so and they continued on their way. A few minutes latera group of 3 Indigenous teenage boys entered the aviary and immediately began seeing animals….not just some but lots.

Then I saw it. Motionless and so well camouflaged against the trunk of the wattle tree - the Rain Moth. It was hard to believe how enormous it was. A quick guess was that it was easily the length of my hand, which is 19 cm. Although mainly shades of browns, greys and black in intriguing patterns, there was this amazing dark blue circle and 2 brown dots, like eyes, on its back near where its head would be. Is this just a decorative pattern, or a trick to make predators think it’s the real head?

No wonder it can feel like a refreshing act of rebellion when given permission to free our feet from their shoed surroundings. Even 15 minutes of barefoot walking and purposeful attunement to touch sensation in the feet brings an energy of enlivenment, a spring in the step, of people who do it. An elderly English woman on a recent forest therapy walk raved about the barefoot activity - ‘it was evocative of my childhood’ she commented afterwards, her eyes glowing. 

Would you believe me if I told you that just being surrounded by trees in the bush or a forest is good for your health? If you do nothing else but breathe the air in such places, you’ll get a boost to your immune system that can last up to 30 days. Amazing!

It feels like one must partake in social media these days, and it can be an effective way to reach your audience. But promoting nature connection practices daily on social media impacted me personally by reducing my own nature connectedness. My ability to just simply be with nature and enjoy it rapidly decreased as I spent far more time on my phone.

Knowing and using some of these Woiwurrung words as I wander slowly on country and greet what’s around me has put a warm smile on my face. Even though some words feel a bit foreign and clunky coming from my mouth, they still feel more ‘true’ than the English name I’ve always used. There’s this sense of rightness when used. I know the more I use them the more natural they’ll feel. 

You may have heard about Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy. Are they the same thing? Why the different names? In short - yes, they are the same thing. They both stem from the Japanese public health practice ‘Shinrinyoku’ where people are guided through a 2-3 hour walk in a forest and given activities to help to aid relaxation and connect them to their senses. So why the different names in English?

Why do so many meditation traditions have the breath as a core practice? Because it works. As long as we’re alive, we have a breath. It’s always here, it’s always happening in the present moment and when we remember to notice it, it’s easy to find. Here are my 3 favourite breathing practices for relaxation in daily life.

I didn’t quite get it when I was 15, but I think I do now. Offering the forest the first cup of tea, leaving the best mud crab for the ancestors - these are rituals. They force us to think beyond ourselves. To be aware of what other humans and non-humans provide for us and be grateful. To be less self absorbed and more respectful of all that has gone on before us, and all that supports us.

So you’ve started your Nature Journal adventure - hurray! Before long, you’ll probably want to know more about the animals and plants that you are journaling about. But with so many of them, where to start? Here we reveal our favourite apps and field guides, which will help you identify the flora and fauna around you.

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