Increased Well-being

Being in nature increases psychological wellbeing by increasing happiness, subjective wellbeing and positive social interactions. It gives a sense of meaning and purpose in life and can make life tasks feel more manageable. It positively affects cognitive function, memory and attention, imagination and creativity.

Reduced Mental Illness

Being in nature reduces the risk and severity of mental illness. Time spent in nature can improve self-esteem and mood. It can reduce stress and decrease the occurrence of depression, anxiety and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Get into Nature

Spending as little as 20 minutes in a natural environment can benefit your health. Nature is everywhere if you look for it and stopping to notice small things like a bird singing is good for you. Stop in nature, close your eyes and let the natural world liven your senses.

Media

April 7, 2023

What’s so good about barefoot walking?

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.

February 28, 2023

What are phytoncides and what do they do for you?

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!

December 7, 2022

Can you promote nature connection on social media, and not lose your own connectedness?

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.

September 2, 2022

Indigenous languages and connection to place

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.

August 17, 2022

Is it Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy?

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?

April 20, 2022

Relax with 3 Easy Breathing Exercises

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.

March 24, 2022

Honouring the Forest - a fresh take on a Japanese Tea Ceremony

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.

December 9, 2021

Taking the next step - how to identify plants and animals

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.

September 15, 2021

Taking a Nature Pact

I took a pact to spend time in nature every day for a month. Here's what happened and how it helped me survive lockdown.

June 24, 2021

Plant a Tree for a Glossy Black Cockatoo

At 'Its’ Naturally You', we believe in giving back to nature, which gives so much to us. That's why we'll be planting 300 she-oak trees to provide food and habitat for the vulnerable South-Eastern Glossy Black Cockatoo.

May 16, 2021

Six Reasons to Keep a Nature Journal

We’ve found keeping a nature journal to be a fresh and fun way to engage with the natural world. It’s also quickly improved our observational skills, curiosity and sense of wonder for the world around us. Here’s 6 ways that the nature journal process has added zest to my (Emma’s) life. We hope it does the same for you.

May 16, 2021

Balance or Replace: The Net Benefit of Health Based Decision Making

Like most of us I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle but I do have my moments of weakness. Devouring

May 16, 2021

Our Well-being Needs and the Impact of Place - The Supportive Environment Theory

Does the physical environment around us influence how we feel and experience the world? The ‘Supportive Environment Theory’ would say

May 16, 2021

Magic of the Bigger Picture

Stop and see the entire view I have worked as a scientist in ecology and environmental evidence-based research for over

May 16, 2021

Key Human Understandings in the New Millennia

As a species we have always asked questions about what it is to be human – our ethics, morals, values,

Your well-being, Naturally

Imagine feeling like this....

Increased Well-being

Reduced Mental Illness

Get into Nature

Our Programs

Melbourne programs

Gippsland Retreat & Research Centre

Media

What’s so good about barefoot walking?

What are phytoncides and what do they do for you?

Can you promote nature connection on social media, and not lose your own connectedness?

Indigenous languages and connection to place

Is it Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy?

Relax with 3 Easy Breathing Exercises

Honouring the Forest - a fresh take on a Japanese Tea Ceremony

Taking the next step - how to identify plants and animals

Taking a Nature Pact

Plant a Tree for a Glossy Black Cockatoo

Six Reasons to Keep a Nature Journal

Balance or Replace: The Net Benefit of Health Based Decision Making

Our Well-being Needs and the Impact of Place - The Supportive Environment Theory

Magic of the Bigger Picture

Key Human Understandings in the New Millennia

What people are saying

This is how people feel after a forest therapy walk.

"I feel lighter and stress-free."

JOHN SALUSTRI

"I noticed the beauty around me and feel relaxed and re-energised."

KARLIE GARTNER

"I feel more present and my senses are sharper."

ILAN ABERGEL

“I feel more in the land, more in my body, tuned into nature, happy. I feel more like me.”

RYTA KUNCIANAS

“I feel happier and more centred. I also have a greater sense of my place in nature, allowing me to shift perspective and be positive and relevant."

NAOMI GRAY

“An incredibly memorable experience”

RORY HAYES

Free Gift - nature sounds

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