LAZING
Don’t feel guilty for being lazy this holiday – research shows slowing down is
good for your soul. Go on, give one of these soothing activities a tryTHE JOY OF
WORDS: Mary Comber- Slow to a stroll
Always in a hurry? While nothing beats
exercising in the green gym, sometimes
it’s good to slow the pace and absorb your
surroundings. ‘Nature has an incredible
ability to seep inside us, providing calm,
comfort and serenity,’ says Sian Tucker,
author of fforest – Being, Doing & Making
in Nature (Kyle Books, £20). ‘So take a
moment to slow down.
Go for a walk in a park. Listen to the
birds. Cycle along a river or go to the sea.
‘Being outside can boost your energy,
it unclutters the mind and helps you
re-connect to yourself. ‘When you sit by
a stream, listen to the water gliding over
mossy boulders; when you walk through
a sea of grass, listen to the bees buzzing,
watch a buzzard swooping,’ says Tucker.
For the ultimate slow pleasure, try the
Japanese art of shinrin-yoku (‘nourished
by nature’). Known as forest bathing, it’s
proven to enhance physical and mental
wellbeing. ‘It means to bathe all your
senses in the beauty and the nature of the
woods,’ says Tucker. Here’s how to do it.
TRY THIS
l Take a gentle walk in the woods,
slowing down to tune into all your senses.
l Stand and feel the ground beneath you.
Walk slowly, breathe calmly and deeply,
listen to the silence.
l Smell the earth, notice the rustle of the
leaves above, the light glimmering and
twinkling, shadows dancing on the bark.