Post by Bonobo on Aug 14, 2011 21:15:59 GMT 1
Exactly. Today I don`t need any therapies except for natural ones.
Tree hugging. My way to deal with stress.
Here's a great holistic health tip for how to relieve stress. You can do it just about anywhere, anytime and it doesn't cost a thin dime.
So go on, don’t be shy, hug a tree. And if anyone calls you a fairy or some other namby-pamby derivative, tell them to join you or "F-off" you're doing holistic healing with Mother Nature.
Tree hugging scientifically proven to improve health
Tree-hugging as a way to relieve stress and connect to the earth goes back to traditional cultures, but recent reports and my own personal experience indicate it can be good for our modern life.
Japanese researchers have recently shown that "forest bathing," taking long walks among trees, helps stimulate the immune system and leads to greater health.
"It is regarded as being similar to natural aromatherapy," say the researchers.
The Native American healer and author Sun Bear said, “trees are conductors of energy between the heavens and the earth. When you hold and hug a tree, you feel the energy and it can be like a blood transfusion.”
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According to these traditional medicines, just as trees take our carbon dioxide and make oxygen, trees absorb our stress and negativity and returns it to the earth to be recycled, leaving us with an openness and calm.
Questioned by the police
When I’m feeling stressed out, my mind is racing with cluttering thoughts or I just feel “disconnected,” I hug a tree for natural healing.
I live in New York city, so sure some people look at me funny when I touch or hug a tree and I'm even occasionally questioned by the police, but no harm done. But Central Park, Prospect park and even street trees can offer assistance.
How to properly hug a tree
Nearly all trees are friendly and love us and want to help. But not all trees. Some are pretty angry, maybe about the way people treat the planet or maybe they've got a root rot. These trees may throw branches, nuts or fruit down at you.
So before you hug a tree, ask permission. Yes, just ask it, either out loud or in your head, "is it ok if I hug you?" If you don't get a branch on your head, you're probably good to go.
To hug a tree, wrap your arms around it as far as you can. Close your eyes and feel the tree. What does the bark feel like? Open your eyes. What does the tree look like? Just notice it. Look at it as if you are looking at a tree for the first time ever.
If you're concerned what people will think
Instead of huggin', you can also sit down at the base of the tree with your back leaning against it. Take a few deep breaths, give the tree your stress. All of it. When you breathe in, inhale that good tree smell.
The New York Times about.com offers these tree hugging holistic health tips.
Continue reading on Examiner.com Tree hugging boosts your health: it's not just for tree huggers anymore - New York wellness | Examiner.com www.examiner.com/wellness-in-new-york/tree-hugging-to-boost-your-health-not-just-for-tree-huggers-anymore#ixzz1V2IvGob7