Nature’s Anti-depressant
Have you ever taken a walk in the woods and felt a deep sense of peace and beauty envelop you? Have you ever walked by the ocean and sensed the power and majesty of its beauty filling you with inspiration? Have you ever hiked a mountain and when you reached the top felt awe as the expansive vista before you took your breath away? Nature is a great resource for re-connecting with your beauty. The nature of your nature in nature comes to life as life blooms naturally around you. We are beings of nature; it is our natural state to commune with the elements, to see ourselves as a part of the whole and at one with all that is. Aligning with the beauty of nature is aligning to your own nature, your sense of well-being and natural beauty as well.
When we move our bodies, and our bodies are made for movement, we allow exciting feel good chemicals to course throughout our bodies. Endorphine’s are our bodies natural anti-depressants, they are stimulated by movement and positive emotions, they pick you up and lighten up your mood as you get your inner engines burning. Activating endorphins through physical movement and/or positive emotions and thoughts, can shift your burden of depression in no time at all.
The amazing thing about the Beauty Walk as a means of fighting off depression is this; not only are you releasing the feel good chemicals in your body, you are also infusing your Self with the beauty and magnificence of life around you.
The Beauty Walk
The Beauty Walk is exactly what you imagine it to be, it is walking and moving and breathing in the bounty of life that surrounds you. Becoming one with it all. For the truth of every human being and every particle on this planet is that we are all made of the same rich radiant substance of the Universe. All that is of beauty outside of you is also within you. You can never be separate from your own source of beauty.
With depression we tend to sink into ourselves, shutting off the light within us, and shutting out the light of the world around us. We feel disconnected and dis-engaged. Taking yourself on a beauty walk is a way to reconnect to the abundance of life and re-engage in the world. Just noticing the rustling of the leaves in the tree and thinking of how wonderful that sound is, as if the tree is speaking to you, or watching a bird fly over head, with strength and speed as it soars in the sky, that bird is alive and moving with purpose, take that energy inside of yourself, as if you are drinking up the experience and make it your own. Like the bird, you can move with strength and purpose. The beautiful blue of the sky, the light of the moon, the vibrant colors of flowers, these are all part of nature’s profound beauty and perfection of life, just as you are, just as every human being is. Take in the profound beauty of nature and equate yourself to it, mingle with it, become it and allow it to become you too. This beauty is on the inside.
One of the greatest discoveries of my life, and possibly the greatest thing I do for my self, my body, mind and spirit is to take my ‘Beauty Walks’. The Native American Indian’s have an expression that I have loved since the day I first discovered it, I saw it on a bumper sticker once and I have been looking for that bumper sticker ever since. It said “Walk in Beauty”. How wonderful is that?
I have been a walker for many years, it is my favorite form of exercise, it is the way I meditate and formulate my creative endeavors. It is the way I de-stress and release the garbage that rummages through my mind. Walking is a great way to ground yourself and circulate energy. It is rhythmic and it is the easiest most natural form of exercise. I have a background in natural health and healing, I have studied and practiced the healing arts of color, sound, touch, aromatherapy, nutrition and energy therapies for years. I understand that a healthy mind, body and spirit lead to a greater sense of joy, well-being and peace throughout our lives and I use the tools of these various healing modalities to infuse my own life as well as those of my clients. I have also known that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, an expression we all learn as children. To see beauty is to be beauty, this is something we have all heard but how often do we remember it?
I don’t know when it happened exactly, it was a gradual process but at some point, I realized I was combining all these components together and turned my daily walks into what I call ‘Beauty Walks’. I am proud to say it; I actually tell people I am going on my Beauty Walk, as hokey as it may sound, because I know it is an inspired action. I have shared this inspired action with many girls, women and men hoping to inspire them too, offering them a tool to feel more health and wholeness in their daily lives. I share it because I am inspired every time I take my beauty walk and the key element to the whole process is infusing my self with beauty, it is a totally sensual experience. I will add that I believe I am becoming more and more beautiful as a woman and a person inside and out because of these walks.
In my own experience of the Beauty Walk, I will admit that the first ten minutes or so are about decompressing. All the stuff of the day swirls through my head, my issues and disappointments, tasks I need to finish, things I am uncomfortable about etc. All of it surfaces until I get into the rhythm and start noticing what is around me.
When you physically take your Beauty Walk, I invite you to notice the beauty, even in a city, within all things around you wherever you may be. Notice architecture, colors of homes and buildings, see if you can find the beauty in a person walking by you. Open yourself to being a mirror of beauty and be the beauty that you see. You can use this to inspire your own form of exercise or use it as a meditation to ground, center and beautify yourself at anytime.
Elizabeth Stahl B.A., N.H.C., is the creator and facilitator of “My Goddess Party”, Star of Aphrodite Life Coaching, Girls of Power and The Girls and Goddesses Parties – for girls ages 10 and up.
Elizabeth has 16 years of experience in the Natural Health Field specializing in Women’s Health and Wellness. She combines her practice as a Natural Health Consultant (NHC), with her Life Coaching practice, Goddess Parties and Sacred Women’s Circles. Elizabeth infuses Girls and Women with the essence of their divine feminine spirit and encourages their growth towards the women they want to be.
