There is much talk about mindfulness in today's wellness circles. Mindfulness teaches us to be in the NOW of our life, not the past, or the future, with our attention focused on our environment at this very moment. There are many health benefits associated with mindfulness, including stress reduction, improvement in emotion regulation, and inducing a state of relaxation, which leads to:
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higher brain functioning
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increased immune function
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lowered blood pressure
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lowered heart rate
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increased awareness
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increased attention and focus
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increased clarity in thinking and perception
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lowered anxiety levels
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experience of being calm and internally still
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experience of feeling connected
Gaining these benefits can be as simple as closing your eyes and being silent for a few minutes a day. This is a practice so easy, anyone can do it.
Being in nature, being mindful, and being in the presence of HORSES is an experience that BraveHart Wellness offers that you should not miss.
Mindfulness
What is it? Why practice it?
"Paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment to what is, without judgement." - Jon Kabat-Zinn
The Japanese call it "Shinrin Yoku" and it was embraced countrywide to reduce the stress from living in cities, which was causing Japan to have the 3rd highest suicide rates in the world. The government quickly realized the importance of re-connecting with nature and preserved 60% of its landmass for this program. Doctors prescribe forest bathing for health purposes. Health diagnostics are examined before and after forest bathing showing improvements in blood pressure, heart rate variability, and other measures which proves its viability.
Japan isn't the only country adopting forest bathing for health. Scotland has a woodland program for prison inmates and addiction patients who spend 3 hours per week for 12 weeks called "Branching Out" or "Hoods in the Woods". North Korea's science-based program is called "salim yok".Finnish students go outside for nature play for 15 mins every hour while in school.
Here at BraveHart Wellness, we explore forest bathing in all our offerings.
Forest Bathing
What is it? Why practice it?
"Forest bathing is a practice that belongs in each person's palette of self-care strategies. It is simply spending time in nature. Forest bathing is different from hiking, in that it is done slowly and purposefully taking in all the sights and sounds of the forest. By giving attention to your senses, you turn down the volume on the cacophony of inner thoughts. Your senses bring you into the present moment, where you can take in all the forest has to offer, welcoming it, letting it settle inside you. When the forest is allowed its place within you, it supports your body's natural capacity for wellness and healing." -M. Amos Clifford, Your Guide to Forest Bathing. Experience the Healing Power of Nature
"Horses model the essential qualities of trust, authenticity, honesty, intuition, listening and a willingness of spirit. Horses have no agenda with us; they simply reflect our strength of character, our heart, our internal incongruence and our self-limiting perceptions.
By example, they ask us to lead our lives with the same dignity, grace, and power that they naturally embody."
"Horses help us close the gap between how we actually present ourselves to others distinct from how we THINK we are being. The minute our bodies get close to them, they size us up, asking, "Who is leading?"They expect us to embody what we care about and stay centered on the life we want to live. In doing so, they help us understand that leadership begins with the SELF we are." - Ariana Strozzi Mazzucchi, Founder of SkyHorse EGE from her introduction of HORSE SENSE for the Leader Within
Horses make decisions based on how they feel, not think!! Get inside your body, feel life through your senses, and "think" like a horse!
Why Horses?
"Unlike a human, a horse is not bound by time, they live in the present reflecting the moment." -