Back to nature

What do you mean, back to nature? You're outside quite often, aren't you? But tell me, do you often walk alone or do you walk through the woods chatting with your best friend? Maybe you like to plug your ears with some nice music or a podcast and walk at a high pace? 

Of course there is nothing wrong with that at all, but you miss a lot this way. I would like to give you three tips to experience nature in a completely different way.

Tip 1 - Swimming in nature

A blue swimming pool at the hotel is of course fun, but in the context of 'back to nature' we look a little further. Do you have a beautiful nature reserve nearby where you can swim? What a luck! Then take a dip in a cool puddle or splash in the sea, which doesn't always have to be Scheveningen.

There is almost nothing better than a refreshing dip on a sweltering summer day. View here at Natuurmonumenten where you can swim safely in natural swimming water. The locations are in or near the nature reserves of Natuurmonumenten. Always check before departure whether the water is safe for swimming: www.zwemwater.nl

Tip 2 - Take a silent walk in the woods offline

Take a walk in the woods alone without a phone or with your girlfriend in silence. If you find this exciting, put your phone on airplane mode. Instead of taking a brisk pace, walk slowly and look around you. Stand still and close your eyes. Because one of your senses disappears, you hear and smell better. Maybe you smell the delicious meadow flowers or that wonderful smell of the Scots pine. Comparable to the smell of a fresh Christmas tree in your living room. The substance they excrete through the needles protects the tree against all kinds of bacteria, fungi and diseases. But it also works for us as an antibiotic and protects our respiratory tract. So breathing forest air is very healthy.

In addition to nature being good for us, there is also hard scientific evidence that the forest positively influences our physical and mental health, thus contributing to a healthier and happier life.

Tip 3 - Get completely relaxed in the woods

It may sound very strange, but in Japan people sometimes hug a tree every day. They call it Shinrin-yoku there, which literally means 'bathing in the atmosphere of a forest', also translated in the West as forest bathing. Each tree is said to have its own healing power and vibration frequency. By sitting, standing or even hugging a tree for 15 minutes, your body takes over this healing vibration.

Curious about what else the healing powers of trees can do for you? Want to experience what a whole day of bathing in the atmosphere of a forest can do for your overall system? Then feel welcome to come and forest bathe in my own safely fenced forest of 2.3 hectares! It is said that it feels like a relaxing day in the sauna!

Would you like to discover what else nature can do for you? 

Through various activities in the middle of the beautiful forests, such as meditations, forest baths, breathing sessions and rituals, you will experience nature and its elements (earth, fire, water and air) even more intensely. You will discover what the power of nature can do for you. You will find various forest retreats on SaPeDi.

Author - Samantha Pellicaan - Dik
Creative and great nature lover Samantha makes unique handmade illustrations on pruning wood and uses them to create very inspiring products. Sustainable and extremely eco-friendly, because the pruning wood comes from its own forest. Check Sapedi.nl