BIOPHILIA: HOW TO CONNECT WITH PLANTS & NATURE

How do you reconnect AND find peace AND unwind AND spend your free time AND balance out city life? Well, doesn’t everyone say: NATURE?!!! Or am I just reading my own interviews? 🤣

Seriously though, being in nature is the age-old cure-all for rebalancing ourselves mentally, physically and spiritually. Looking out at a view of the sea, a lake, a forest, the mountains, the vastness of the sky  can instantly transition us to a meditative state and helps place us in the universe with often life-affirming perspective. Immersing ourselves in these landscapes makes us feel alive! The sights, sounds, aromas and physical touch of nature and the elements helps to clear the cobwebs of life, inspires and energises us with a deep innate connection to something bigger than ourselves and yet within ourselves. To me, nothing is more convincing of one of my favourite phrases — we are nature, we are of nature. My friend Shaman Durek beautifully echoed this idea, saying, “Nature actually lowers our heart rate so that we’re able to feel safe and comfortable, and when our heart rate is lower, then our body is able to function better.”

A few years ago I came across the term “biophilia,” which designates the theory that humans have an innate connection with nature and all natural things, which is of course what the science of life is about — what is life without nature? The term “biophilia” was coined by Erich Fromm, and popularised by Edward O. Wilson in his 1984 book, Biophilia. He defined it as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life.” Many studies have confirmed what Ayurveda (and our intuition) has always known: proximity to nature, i.e. biophilia, improves our general wellbeing, as well as productivity and speed of learning, while reducing stress and the intensity of pain. It has benefits for our physical, mental and spiritual health that have been proven time and time again — and when you think about it, none of this is surprising. Even just a quick walk in the park can completely turn your day around. “Stop and smell the roses,” anyone? That’s why it’s so important to include nature into your various everyday environments and design them with biophilia in mind — it’s just the way we’re wired, and we function so much better with plants surrounding us.

An amazing example is the evidence suggesting that biophilic design in hospitals significantly benefits patients’ recovery. According to one article, “the incorporation of biophilia within hospitals has reduced post-operative recovery by 8.5% and the use of pain medication by 22%.” One of the best  ways to obtain this effect is for the patient’s room to have a view of nature, but there are many other less obvious ways to design hospitals with nature in mind. This includes natural lighting, the use of natural materials and other techniques so that the hospital mimics nature and tricks our brains into feeling better. Of course this application is not limited to hospitals, and we can implement its principles to all our environments, from home to office. Another powerful consideration is the shapes in an interior — using tools like Fibonacci’s spiral, a set of numbers that forms a harmonious shape found in many natural occurrences, can shift the whole vibration of a place. In fact, when it comes to human creativity, nothing inspires like nature. As Durek says, “When nature makes us feel better and makes us feel safe, we begin to open up and receive a greater synthesis of information given to us. We can therefore begin to create a collective conversation that could lead to innovation, to ideas, to thinking, and so forth. It also is really good for boosting longevity within our bodies.

Having both plants and pets (there’s nothing quite like seeing your cat or dog sleeping or playing to remind you that as a human you’d benefit from that too!) in your home can greatly increase your wellbeing, but that’s not all there is to biophilia. Considering nature when designing an office space, for example, can save a company plenty of money by improving employee health, wellbeing and productivity, so it has an important economic impact as well. Nature — is there anything it can’t do???

But how can we who are not architects or who are not in the process of building our homes, design the interior and even the outside space to create more biophilia?? Especially if we live in the urban jungles of the modern world and are miles from parks and lakes.

1. GO GREEN

Fitting plants into your life is especially important if you live in a city, where concrete dominates the landscape. Houseplants are a wonderful addition to your home through all the senses (nibble on those fresh homegrown herbs on the kitchen counter too!) and tending to them can be therapeutic for your environment. They can help avoid illness from coughs to dry skin, thanks to their humidifying effect; they help clean the air; and they apparently also improve memory, concentration and productivity.

2. GET GARDENING

Plunging your hands in soil is such an intuitive way of connecting with nature, as is watering your plants, knowing you’re helping them grow and allowing them the space to do so. Not only that but watching your patch take shape, die down and grow back in the cyclical changes of the seasons throughout the year is a powerful reminder of the natural world. And if you really get all “green fingers,” you'll be fascinated by the importance of the microbiome of the soil and how that relates to your own gut microbiome. Planting medicinal herbs, or flowers for the bees, or simply growing what you’re attracted to is also beneficial. If you don’t have your own garden, you could consider getting involved with a community garden in your area.

3. TAKE A SEAT

If you have outside space, consider a wooden bench or chair to encourage you to “sit out on your back porch” on a morning or evening, so you can just hang around and look up at the sky, watch the rising and setting sun, marvel at the ever-changing face of the moon. If you don’t have a garden or terrace, you can do this anywhere, even on a bus bench or on a low wall. The fresh air is full of Prana — and if you’re up first thing in the morning or get a chance to watch the sunset outdoors, then try sun gazing (blog post coming soon!).

4. SCHEDULE YOUR ESCAPE

Make the great outdoors part of your weekly schedule — make a habit of walking in a local park or any patch of natural ground. If you can and when the season allows, walk barefoot in the grass to feel a closer connection to the nature around you, while a very tangible exchange of energy takes place.

5. MAKE TECH WORK FOR YOU

Bring the sounds of nature indoors — sounds a bit beardy weirdy, but seriously, those rainforest playlists of birdsong and rain or whale sounds really do have a positive effect on the body (once you get into it!). Check out my Spotify playlist, Biophilia thought the Sounds of Nature. A favourite of my other half is the sound of waves crashing — random yet rhythmic. Those preprogrammed screensavers of nature are actually so popular for a reason — see if having one on your computer at the beginning and end of your day reminds you to get out into nature. Also consider downloading an app or investing in a fitness tracker that will remind you to move for 5 minutes every half-hour, time to give your eyes a rest from digital images, move the body and sip some hot water or herbal tea.

6. INVITE PLANTS TO THE TABLE

If incorporating nature into the workplace isn’t a priority at your company, try bringing up the need to be able to open windows, have more plants around to clean the air, as well as pictures of nature on the walls, better lighting than your standard strip lighting (depressing!!!) and other small improvements that make a big difference. If you’ve got your own space or colleagues in close proximity who feel the same way, consider an aroma diffuser and build an essential oil wardrobe — try pure oils such as rosemary, pine, orange, rose or geranium, or look for blends specifically designed to capture the smell of forests or to calm Vata aggravation for example, or to revitalise a Kapha aggravation first thing in the morning or post-lunch. If your office mates are not so keen, try a couple of drops on a hanky and take a moment to inhale it when you take your 5-minute break as mentioned above.

7. READ UP ON VASTU SHASTRA AND/OR FENG SHUI

Vastu Shastra is the Vedic science of design, while Feng Shui is its Chinese counterpart. Both are all about incorporating the elements in the form of natural materials like water, wood, etc. — think a water feature, a fish tank… Durek added, “we want to make sure that our home has less things in it, because the thing is we tend to clutter, to fill in space, and when we do that, we’re actually creating an imbalance. It makes our body aware of each and every item that we have in our home, in the place where we dwell, and therefore our mind becomes scattered and more fixated on these things. Less is more — more plants, especially plants that deal with radiation, and more nature around is a very important thing, but also as well making sure that you have natural elements, such as stone and rock. You can have copper as well, which is a great receiver of energy. These things will help you to relax, and this will also help you make sure your cortisol levels don’t raise, and this will be really good for your mitochondria because your body will then realise ‘oh I don’t have to focus on all of these things, so I can now put the attention where it’s necessary,’ such as a project you’re doing or something you’re putting your energy to.”