{"id":582,"date":"2010-05-10T11:14:16","date_gmt":"2010-05-10T11:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/apagansblog\/2010\/05\/nature-is-good-for-you.html"},"modified":"2010-05-10T11:14:16","modified_gmt":"2010-05-10T11:14:16","slug":"nature-is-good-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/apagansblog\/2010\/05\/nature-is-good-for-you.html","title":{"rendered":"Nature is Good for You"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

It turns out that immersing ourselves
\nin Nature is good for us in ways that science can actually measure.  <\/span>A paper published last week<\/a>, “A Dose of
\nNature” Jules Pretty and Jo Barton found that people’s mood
\nand self-esteem benefit from what it calls “green exercise.” Prof. Pretty said<\/a> of his study “For the first time in the scientific
\nliterature, we have been able to show dose-response relationships for the
\npositive effects of nature on human mental health.” <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

Their findings applied to all ages and both genders, though there
\nwere interesting differences among them. 
\n<\/span>The biggest benefits applied to the mentally ill, suggesting that my
\nsuspicion modern society may drive us crazy is well founded.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In
\na report on the paper, Peter Stanford writes<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

The study shows, for example, that being in a green environment
\nis better than being in an urban one in terms of a measurable positive effect
\non blood pressure, hormones and stress levels. Intriguingly, it also concludes
\nthat the biggest beneficial boost from exposure to nature is gained within the
\ninitial five minutes of each encounter with the great outdoors. While it
\ncontinues to reap a harvest thereafter, the crop of positives diminishes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Gary<\/span>
\nSnyder has written, truly I think, that the spirit of place is the total of all
\nthe energy fields present in a place. 
\n<\/span>Those of rocks and water, soil and air, plants, animals, fungi, people –
\nthe whole nine yards.  <\/span>This week
\nI’ll write another blog on things you might try in order to experience this
\nenergy field.<\/p>\n

Yesterday I took a long road trip
\nalong small ridge top roads in Sonoma County, stopping frequently to take
\nphotographs and walk around.  <\/span>It
\nwas cleansing as well as beautiful. 
\n<\/span>Something similar happens to me when I walk from where I live into
\ndowntown Sebastopol, for people here love to plant flowers in their front
\nyards, but concrete and cars still intrude jarringly at times. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to AmericaBlog<\/a> for first turning me onto this. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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