A few years back we did some extensive research on the benefits nature can offer including healing, stress relief, development, and more. Today, I share with you a blog that I wrote in 2011; chalked full of mind, body, and spiritual benefits that nature can provide. Enjoy.

I learned the benefits of nature as a child. My childhood was spent outside. We raised animals and we respected wildlife. I fell in love with horses the moment my nose touched one. That first dog nose that touched me captured my heart. I spent any time I could exploring our family farm, mostly on horseback. I knew the creeks, pastures, and hillsides like the back of my hand. In times of trouble, sadness, or trauma I sought out nature and my animal friends. They soothed and healed me.

Today my life is still full of nature. As I’m writing this in my home office, I’m looking out onto a sea of green. My home is full of windows and surrounded by trees looking onto a river.

I also own a little farm with pastures, a river, old oak trees, prairie, and more. In addition, I still have my four-legged companions. Nature is my therapy. It offers balance, peace, awe, and a sense of wonder. It can also bring exhilaration, fear, and sadness. Nature can be harsh. I’ve been bucked off horses, bit by wasps, charged by an elephant, lost animal friends, struggled in fast-flowing water, seen predators do their thing, and walked bare-skinned through stinging nettle.

More people live in urban environments now than at any time in human history. People are losing touch with nature. Research indicates kids born in the last three decades have lost touch with nature. Yet, the benefits of nature are innumerous. Poets have recognized these benefits for centuries. Nature is beneficial to our mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Here are some of the widely proven benefits of getting out into nature:

Taylor Studios will continue the quest to inspire people with our natural history exhibits. How often do you get out into nature?

original post 8/11/16