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Ecotherapy and the healing power of nature

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Nowadays, the pace of life is usually too fast, stressful and unstable, so it is common for our mental health to be negatively affected. It is estimated that up to one in four people will experience some mental health problem in their lifetime. That’s why it is essential to be ahead and understand the importance of caring for our mental health as much as our bodies. A solution to these problems resides in nature, and research has shown that Ecotherapy is a great way to help us reconnect with our essence. That is the main reason we have chosen Ecotherapy as the cornerstone in one of our Mindfulness Experiences “Yoga retreat in nature, reach out to your inner self”.

Today’s blog entry tells you everything about what Ecotherapy is, its benefits, and its techniques.

the ecotherapy - Spain Natural Travel

The Ecotherapy

The natural world and human beings are part of the same system; We depend on the world around us for our survival, health, and happiness. Ecotherapy is a set of therapeutic techniques based on making us aware or helping us remember the innate connection we have with all forms of life to live a healthy, sustainable, and satisfying life.
Connecting is one of our primary needs. Modern life is often filled with emotional, spiritual, and psychological stress in addition to physical illness. It is common to be only connected to technology in our day-to-day, while we disconnect from ourselves, our families, our community, and the natural world around us.
Being intimately linked to each other, the seasons, the earth, the elements, and our life purpose is crucial for our health and the health of our planet. To address today’s disconnection, we first have to be aware of it. If we can slow down and observe, we can begin to heal ourselves, our communities and our disaffection from nature.

Benefits of Ecotherapy for physical and mental health

Ecotherapy forms part of the psychotherapy practice, where the healing benefits of being in nature are part of the process and therapy is conducted outside, in the natural world. For those who struggle to communicate their thoughts and find it challenging to share their feelings, being outside offers a different therapeutic experience. Sharing painful personal experiences in this way can be very powerful and healing.

Ecotherapy activities are the most convenient to practise outdoor therapeutic experiences as a way of reconnecting and remembering your relationship with the natural world.

ecotherapy techniques - Spain Natural Travel

Ecotherapy techniques

Some techniques within Ecotherapy are:

  • Shinrin Yoku or forest bath: Created in the 80’s Japan, this technique seeks to put our minds at ease while focusing our attention on our senses. Using the unique conditions present in particular woodlands, this technique intends to treat therapeutically high levels of stress and negativity by bringing us closer to nature through an extraordinary experience.
  • Earthing: It seeks to balance out our health by reconnecting the energies of our body with the earth. Mindful guided experiences such as walking barefoot on the grass or the sand of the beach can create the right conditions to start reaching out to our inner selves.
  • Other activities to connect with nature: mindful walking, hiking, sitting by the river, contemplating the sea or taking part in guided meditations in natural environments.

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