L
ook deep into
nature, and then
you will understand
everything better.”
From Albert Einstein’s
words of wisdom, to Buddha
urging his disciples to meditate in
the jungle to reach a higher state
of consciousness, the restorative
effects of nature have long been
understood.
For centuries, millions have
reaped physical and emotional
rewards from being in the great
outdoors – including former
rock musician turned therapist
Jonathan Hoban, who says being
outside “guided and nurtured” him
through recovery from substance
abuse and grief.
Since retraining in
psychotherapy 20 years ago,
Jonathan has devised Walking
Therapy, which merges walking
in nature with counselling. Be
it strolling along a meandering
riverbank, power walking through
a dense pine forest, or sitting
quietly in a postage stamp patch
of parkland, he swears by the
emotional healing power of
outside spaces.
“It’s not only about that low
aerobic exercise, but when we
walk in nature, our brain releases
oxytocin, which is very meditative.
And putting time for a walk in the
diary – making time for yourself –
is important because when we’re
busy, we never make time for
ourselves,” explains Jonathan.
Away from their phones,
computers, and the stresses of
work and daily life, Jonathan’s
clients discover the mental
space to unravel problems that
would otherwise stay buried,
and connect to what he calls
their “instinctive, wilder side”, or
“primal energies”.“You might not want to do a
job anymore but push down
those feelings, and suppress
that intuition, because you’re
frightened of what you need to
do with your life,” says Jonathan,
adding that we’re in the midst of
an “epidemic of stress, anxiety and
depression”.
A nation of over-workers,
many of us are awash with stress
hormone cortisol, which peaks
when we’re frazzled. Inevitably,
we lose our sense of personal
boundaries, which is why we work
through our lunch breaks, agree
to overtime, or take work home at
weekends – all of which damage
personal relationships. Walking,
though, has the power to rectify
this imbalance.
“The worst torment in the
world is not being abandoned
by someone else – it’s when you
abandon yourself. But in nature,
we find the silence to hear our true
thoughts and, in doing so, start
to consider ourselves again,” says
Jonathan.
In his book, Walk With Your Wolf:
Unlock your intuition, confidence
and power, which he wrote for
people who want to become better
connected to themselves but
can’t afford counselling, Jonathan
recommends keeping a walking
diary. By jotting down one-word
feelings before, during, and after
each walk, we can be inwardly
honest about our feelings, and
discover what we need to lead a
balanced and happy life.
“The first boundary is with
yourself and that commitment of
‘I’m going to do this for me’,” says
Jonathan, adding that technology-
free walking is another step in the
right direction.
“People want to feel loved
and important, so are always
wondering: ‘Is there another >>>“
‘In nature, we find the silence to hear
our true thoughts and, in doing so,
start to consider ourselves again’