“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” – John Muir
Since the beginning of time we have been expressing ourselves in the great outdoors. The earliest known paintings by man, estimated to be about 39,000 years old, were found in limestone caves on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. They were rough sketches of animals and outlines of hands. Mother nature has been both our muse and our canvas, providing the inspiration and backdrop for human beings, from primitive men to modern day athletes, to create some of our most moving compositions on record.
Photography, free climbing, painting, riding waves, sculpture, carving lines, illustration, running barefoot–all of these creative pursuits can be considered physical works of art. These actions give us the ability to come together and share experiences, or to go it alone and create our own. The sheer beauty and emotional power they posses can lead to higher states of consciousness, and by strengthening the mind, we strengthen the spirit and empower ourselves to transform physically. Have you ever noticed after a grueling hike, a long run or a relentless bike ride, the sunset looks much more profound? It seems as if the birds are singing your praises and the flowers are blooming just for you. Each bead of sweat feels like a badge of honor and every breath is an out-of-body experience. When our minds are clear, our senses are enlivened and we are that much closer to personal peace. We are completely offline.
Studies in the International Journal of Neuroscience and from the American Heart Association have concluded that meditation can help you feel younger, decrease your risk for heart disease and stroke, and make workouts more focused. Stress-related chemicals, such as cortisol, are removed from the bloodstream and replaced with beneficial endorphins. “Grown-ups” from all walks of life are experimenting with both conventional meditation and various forms of “outdoor therapy.” From forest bathing to adult summer camps and building treehouse communes, we are retreating away from modern conveniences in order to endure today’s digital burnout. Long hours in front of glowing screens can’t compare to the magnitude of a full moon or the brilliance of a shooting star.
There are a handful of people doing things differently. They are intentionally designing sustainable working and creative environments for themselves outdoors as an alternative to the traditional 9-to-5 grind. With a New Age spirit, these natural dyeing workshops, roaming art collectives, trade shows in the desert and campers outfitted as mobile micro-offices are just some of the current community-based approaches to a hybrid combination of living on and off the grid. But in today’s world, these people aren’t seen as “hippies” or “nonconformists.” They’re considered enterprising visionaries taking control of their own destinies, providing the rest of us with the holistic blueprints for living a simple, more balanced life. They are going against the grain and recalibrating the system in the back of VW vans and high above the hilltops. At the end of the day, freedom and purpose, whether financial or spiritual, are the main drivers for most of the decisions we make personally and as a society. If we can figure out how to let go of some of the stresses associated with those ideals, we too can live happier, healthier, more enlightened lives. By combining the healing powers of mother nature with a progressive outlook on being “productive,” we may actually have a chance to survive this demanding concept we call success.
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Three.
Photo by Victoria Masters.
xx Jeanine