It Turns Out That Immersing Yourself in Nature Is Good for the Soul
When we experience nature, we experience ourselves.
Whether it's sitting in open clearing deep within the woods, enjoying the mountainous trails of a rugged hike or basking in the calm of a rural lake, being in nature allows us to experience solace. Being in nature is like taking a deep breath -- and by taking that deep breath -- we have an opportunity to look inward, returning to our body, mind and soul.
Too often in our busy day-to-day lives do we forget to take that breath -- that moment of inner peace and reflection -- which is why returning to nature returns us to us.
Last month, in an effort to escape the chaos and day-to-day fatigue of living in a major city, I journeyed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to experience Diamond Cross Ranch and participate in an immersive weekend partnership with Lone River beverage company. The objective was to rejuvenate the mind and body and bring tranquility to the five senses -- all by experiencing the power of nature.
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What followed was a deeper exploration of self and the hypothesis that taking time to oneself in nature leads you closer to an understanding of your totality.
Diamond Cross Ranch is about a 30 minute car ride northeast of Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) -- a secluded slice of western life nestled in the outskirts of Grand Teton National Park. It's a peaceful drive filled with freeing landscapes, herds of buffalo along the roadside, and at this particular juncture, cloud formations in the sky from a fire that's been burning for over a month's time.
Coming from Los Angeles -- where water planes are dispatched almost as quickly as fires start -- I was surprised to learn that combating this fire carried with it a sort of laissez faire attitude by residents -- some of whom were being displaced -- because the blaze was clearing out invasive pines. As we rolled up to the entrance of the ranch, it struck me that nature had just provided the first lesson of the trip: Sometimes in life, we need to endure temporary discomfort to burn up that which doesn't serve us over the long term.
It's well-documented one of the leading benefits of spending time in nature is the lowering of cortisol levels, the stress hormone that's often an instigator to many illnesses. When we lower our stress levels within the body, we feel more grounded, present and centered. Thus, to experience nature is to experience freedom within oneself -- an experience of internal vastness that nature -- like the forest fire -- helps illuminate by clearing out all of our unnecessary mental debris.
Upon entering the ranch grounds, I was immediately taken by the impressive views of the Teton Range, the majestic mountains emblazoned across the skyline. Experiencing the view from the doorstep of my cabin loosened the grasp of any worry or anxiety attached to my being and as I marveled at the magnitude of the mountains' splendor, a feeling of humbled insignificance washed over me.
Not only did the Tetons highlight how our small human stature paled in comparison to these giant rock formations, they helped illustrate a second lesson: Nature -- with all its vastness and complexities -- is the great regulator. By returning to it, we achieve a feeling of oneness within ourselves and with the world at large.
One unexpected yet poignant element of the trip came not from nature itself but man's relationship with wild animals. On our first night of the journey, our group watched esteemed horse whisperer Grant Golliher walk us through his methods for training wild horses. Golliher employs a holistic approach to horse training, meeting the horse where it's at and treating it with reverence and respect -- opposing the idea of trying to force the horse to bend to his will. Again, a lesson emerged: Horses -- like humans -- crave safety. When we want to instruct or lead others, we can create an environment of safety and help guide them to the destinations we're trying to lead them to -- instead of trying to force our will on others and jam our direction onto them. In this way, others are active participants in co-creating the reality you're wishing for them because you're inviting them to create it with you through safety.
On the second day, our group embarked on a hike to experience the natural landscape of the Teton Mountains. As we walked the sunlit trails, crisp mountain air flowed freely around us, providing a feeling of overall connectivity. Somehow, the vastness of the mountains and the wide-open spaces created a sense of oneness, and it was as if stepping into nature was to join a greater collective of energy.
Just as cars and motorized vehicles need tuneups, it dawned on me that perhaps being in nature is the tuneup required by humans. If car check-ups help the vehicle operate at its potential, so too does nature provide the internal recentering needed for humans to operate at their potential.
After stopping at Jenny Lake, we continued our ascent, and with each step along the trail I felt closer and closer to coming "home." There, in nature, surrounded by wilderness, was a feeling of belonging. And as I gazed out over the rest of the Teton Range, something old -- something ancestral -- bubbled up from within. It was an understanding that nature is the last stand of authenticity in our three dimensional world, the final frontier of what is pure and unadulterated by man. Nature is an example of what exists within each of us -- the potential for wholeness -- existing within a system of intricately woven fragmentation.
On our final evening, with a Ranch Water in hand -- 'Spicy' was my favorite flavor -- I settled down on a log bench to experience the stars. Coming from Los Angeles where the light pollution severely limits nighttime star visibility, I was amazed to see more stars in the sky than I ever thought possible. As the sun continued its descent from view, darkness rose, increasing in density with each passing minute. Suddenly, that same feeling of interconnectivity from the mountains emerged -- a feeling of oneness with the wide spectrum of luminous plasmas.
While experiencing this oneness with the sky, I arrived at my greatest takeaway from the trip: Being in nature is thought-provoking. If we allow ourselves to settle within ourselves, we can better tune in to those thoughts. The more we tune into our thoughts and feelings, the more we can heal. But first we must clear space internally to be able to listen to our thoughts and feelings, which is what nature does. Nature is the force that helps us melt away stress and declutter the mind.
It dawned on me that this realization -- and all of these thoughts and ideas -- were the direct result of taking time to -- quite literally -- sit in nature, be immersed in nature, and let nature "do its thing." If nature is medicine, then we need only to let it act upon us to fully experience its healing properties.
Visiting Diamond Cross Ranch and experiencing nature through the curated activities planned by Lone River was a restorative journey, reaffirming the hypothesis that getting in touch with nature helps us better get in touch with ourselves.
The journey helped release the daily stress buildup that had accumulated prior to the trip, and I learned that in order to experience the healing properties of nature, you simply had to experience it. Be in it. Exist in it. Your relationship with the outdoors is your own relationship, and by taking time to quiet your mind and just be, you'll discover nature encouraging you to connect to a deeper understanding of the world around you and a deeper understanding of yourself.