To truly spend time in nature is to return to our roots, to disconnect from the noise and pressures of life. It’s scientifically proven to be good for us, lowering stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, blood pressure and heart rate, and boosting immunity. If you’re a provider looking to organise a green getaway, or a group of friends wanting to escape and embrace the outdoors, from foraging to forest bathing, our 10 ideas for a nature focussed wellness weekend will bring calm and contentment.
Nature has ways of healing us; sunlight triggers serotonin production, lifting our mood and reducing anxiety; it helps us make immune-enhancing vitamin D, like the phytoncides given off by trees, plants and the soil. If you’re planning a nature focussed wellness weekend as an event organiser or group of guests, the 10 ideas we’ve put together will ensure everyone leaves feeling completely relaxed and rejuvenated.
Huxhay is set in Exmoor and sleeps up to 23 guests
Firstly, find a peaceful and beautiful countryside location for your holistic wellness weekend; check out the Sleeps12 hand-picked collection of luxury group holiday houses, all with an immense sense of calm, and outstanding features for relaxation – swimming pools, hot tubs, saunas, movie rooms, and cosy BBQ lodges.
Make it a screen-free digital detox, plan meals carefully, or hire a private chef to provide wholesome food for the weekend; choose activities that will immerse the senses, cleanse the soul and energise the spirit.
Foraging
Nature’s larder is full of plants that can be used as food, medicine, to make herbal teas and balms. Take a guided foraging walk as correct identification is essential, especially with fungi. What you find will depend on the season; easily recognisable plants include:
- Blackberries – use in pies, crumbles, jams and compotes
- Nettles – great for soups and teas – the sting disappears when blanched or boiled
- Wild garlic – plentiful in the springtime for salads, soups, risottos and pesto
- Cleavers – make a spring detox that can be drunk hot or cold
- Rosehips – good in teas and skincare products
Never forage on private land without the owner’s permission.
Forest Bathing
Forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku) is a wonderful way to slow down, leaving you calm and grounded. Walk slowly and quietly deep into the woodland; stop to feel the bark of trees, listen to birdsong, breathe in the earthiness and pine scents. Sit in a clearing, close your eyes and be still.
Any woodland is good as long as you have permission to be there. Prime forest bathing spots in the UK are:
- The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire
- The New Forest, Hampshire
- Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire
- Halden Forest Park, Devon
Go For a Walk
It doesn’t have to be a vigorous hike, a few miles is fine. Walk slowly, keep your voices low, look around, and allow time to stop and stare at the scenery, the plants, the insects and any wildlife. The combination of exercise, fresh air and sunlight is a very powerful de-stresser.
Riverside Meditation
Enjoy peaceful holiday at idyllic Riverside
When you meditate by a river your nervous system relaxes. The steady burble of the water, like white noise, calms the amygdala – the ‘alarm centre’ in the brain. Think about what you can hear, see, and feel. Watch sunlight sparkling on the riffles, dragonflies dancing, the leaves of a willow dipping into the water. Let the river take your worries away, imagine them drifting downriver and out to sea.
Open Air Yoga
Yoga is so much better outdoors. Fresh air, natural light, warm sunlight, a gentle breeze, birdsong, far reaching views, your bare feet connected to the earth. It feels so free and grounding, very apt for perfecting your Mountain and Tree poses!
Fireside Reflection
End a day of your wellness weekend with fireside reflection, a time for thoughtful, quiet conversation, reading poetry or short pieces of prose. Listen without interrupting, allow time for everyone to speak, unless they wish to stay silent. Gather around a firepit, beneath the twinkly lights of a BBQ lodge, or indoors by a glowing log fire. Have cushions and blankets, herbal teas or cacao.
Listen to the Dawn Chorus
Even if your circadian rhythm dictates otherwise, it’s an amazing experience to get up early and listen to the dawn chorus. Head outside with blankets and coffee and tune in. This is birdsong at its best, starting 30-60 minutes before sunrise, from mid-March through to late June. Top contenders for the Birds Got Talent spot are robins, blackbirds and thrushes.
Nature Journaling
Nature journaling is about recording your slow-time personal observations of the natural world. Start with the date, time and weather, then make notes, write a poem, or sketch what you notice – a bee or butterfly on a flower, the scent of a particular plant. Journaling boosts curiosity, sharpens focus and helps to create long lasting memories.
Nature Spotting
Sit in a corner of a field or on a hill, be very quiet and see what you spot - binoculars will be handy. That moment when a deer steps out of the woods, a fox breaks out across the field, a red admiral lands on a bramble flower, a buzzard soars overhead…
Stargazing
Stargazing is a great experience any time of year, best on a clear night with a new moon. No equipment is needed, only coats or blankets and hot drinks. This is one time during your wellness weekend that you can allow smartphones, as there are stargazing apps, like Stellarium Mobile and SkySafari, that will map out the constellations for you. Among the best stargazing sites in the UK are Exmoor National Park and the South Downs.