Doctor’s Prescription for Nature Experiences

Our international Qigong workshops and retreats in Bad Zwischenahn in Northern Germany are constantly attracting people from all parts of Germany and around the world. We have already welcomed participants from India, Mexico, the USA, South Africa and many European countries. Not only have we inspired them with simple, natural approaches for self-health-care management, but also with the many facets of our beautiful holiday resort. Bad Zwischenahn is a place where one wants to stay a bit longer to enjoy the fresh air and pure nature. As we know, holistic health and well-being go hand in hand with the conscious experience of nature. This is now also officially recognized by the legislative parties in Scotland. Since the end of last year, doctors are allowed to issue their patients with prescriptions for nature experiences! This is first of its kind in England. The program shall among others help regulate blood pressure, reduce stress, build mental strength and prevent heart disease.

A guidebook advises as to which specific measures patients can take. In February one should, for example, start to become consciously aware of and “appreciate the speed of the wind”. March invites you to a “walk on the beach”, while you may like to collect things from nature. In April you should “touch the sea” and in May you can “put your head into the grass”. Then in July pick “blades of grass and look at them consciously”. In October, so it is said, one should “watch a cloud carefully” and in November “ride a pony”. All this and much more is to be enjoyed upon the order of a doctor and by a his or her prescription.

These arrangements are in line with scientific studies that confirm that one is not only more calm and happy when spending time in nature on a regular basis, it is also likely that a flow of negative, compulsive thoughts will be stopped! At the same time, neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area of ​​the brain associated with mental illness, is reduced. Furthermore, the researchers found that increased urbanization correlated closely with the increased incidence of depression and other mental illnesses. Spending more time in nature supports our mental and physical well-being and prevents diseases.

In our Zhineng Qigong training we emphasize the connection of human beings with nature. The natural, meditative body movements lead one’s own consciousness into balance and harmony with the outside world, so that a “prescription for nature” issued by a doctor is not required. In a natural way we become aware of the harmonic relationship we have with nature. Our desire and our need to spend time in nature and to enjoy this time mindfully and with joy, develops authentically and powerfully from within our inner self.