'Turns out that your mother’s advice to get out and get some fresh air may have been wiser than she even knew, with one study showing the benefits of nature. A study that analyzed morbidity of more than 345,000 people based on records from 195 different physicians spread across the Netherlands, individuals with a higher percentage of green space within a 1 km radius in the immediate vicinity of their postal code had a lower prevalence of 15 of 24 disease clusters. Morbidity was classified according to the International Classification of Primary Care, a classification “developed in response to an increasing demand for quality information on primary care as part of growing worldwide attention to global primary health care objectives, including the World Health Organization’s target of ‘health for all.'''
'I recently saw the feature length documentary, Eat the Sun, and was inspired to explore the practice of sungazing.
The practice of sungazing closely resembles its name. At sunrise and/or sunset, when the sun is closest to the earth, sungazers stand barefoot on the earth and look directly at the sun for 10 seconds. Every day, 10 seconds are added and some sungazers eventually reach a duration of 44 minutes. The theory is that the sun is the force of all life, and staring at it can infuse the body with large amounts of energy.
So much so that one of the sungazers featured in the film, Hira Ratan Manek, claims to have gone eight years without eating. He has been “eating” a steady diet of solar rays, and claims that this is all he needs for nourishment.'
'The immediacy of Richard Louv's message in Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder galvanized an international movement to reconnect children with nature.
Now, in The Nature Principle, Louv reaches even further with a powerful call to action for the rest of us. Our society, says Louv, has developed such an outsized faith in technology that we have yet to fully realize or even adequately study how human capacities are enhanced through the power of nature.
Supported by groundbreaking research, anecdotal evidence, and compelling personal stories, Louv shows us how tapping into the restorative powers of the natural world can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds.
As he says in his introduction, The Nature Principle is "about the power of living in nature—not with it, but in it. We are entering the most creative period in history. The twenty-first century will be the century of human restoration in the natural world."
Richard Louv makes a convincing case that through a nature-balanced existence—driven by sound economic, social, and environmental solutions—the human race can and will thrive. This timely, inspiring, and important work will give readers renewed hope while challenging them to rethink the way we live.'
What if we spent as much time immersed in nature as we do in technology?
'That’s the question Richard Louv sought to answer when writing his latest book, The Nature Principle. Our society, says Louv, has developed such an outsized faith in technology that we have yet to fully realize or even adequately study how human capacities are enhanced through the power of nature.
The book suggests that “nature deficit disorder,” a term Louv coined in Last Child In The Woods, doesn’t only apply to children.
Louv’s “Nature Principle” consists of seven precepts, including balancing technology excess with time in nature; a mind/body/nature connection, which Louv calls “vitamin N,” that enhances physical and mental health; expanding our sense of community to include all living things; and purposefully developing a spiritual, psychological, physical attachment to a region and its natural history.
Supported by groundbreaking research, anecdotal evidence, and compelling personal stories, The Nature Principle shows us how tapping into the restorative powers of the natural world can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds.'
'As reported in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, only the actual view of the outdoors had a calming effect; the plasma window was no more restorative than the blank wall. In other words, the technological version of nature--even when it came in HDTV quality--couldn't fool the neurons.
But what exactly is being restored by such immediate connection with nature? Or, put another way, what am I missing by staying indoors with my TV all winter? University of Michigan psychologist Marc Berman believes that nature actually shifts our brain from one processing mode to another.'
