We have been running workshops now at Elvis HQ in Lyme Regis for over 10 years. I love bringing people here. We have created an environment that feels less like work and more like life. With dogs and kids running around it feels more like home for everyone involved so we can all just relax and be ourselves.
I’ve always been passionate about feeding people's souls through our work and therefore creating a holistic experience, that's good for all aspects of our energy, has been our goal. We have been lucky enough to have amazing locally sourced produce often prepared by friends at River Cottage and even the mighty Mark Hix.
We drive around in a 35-year-old Land Rover, usually with a dog on the front seat. We share meaningful experiences about what's happening in our lives and support each other in shining more brightly. But by far our singular most important secret weapon, in helping everybody love themselves and their lives, is where we do it. We run exercises down on the beach regardless of the weather or time of year. We stomp around the meadows and the woodland whilst processing the important aspects of our lives and our work. We ponder our existence under ancient Oaks as birds sing around us. We jump into natural swimming ponds and feel lucky to be alive.
Nature always delivers. It reduces our blood pressure and calms our heart rate. It reduces anxiety and fear and stress. It improves our mood and makes us feel as if we are part of something bigger; something more important, with the perfection that is beyond human creation.
A study carried out, not far from here at the University of Exeter, found that people who spend 2 hours a week or more in green spaces were substantially more likely to report good health and psychological well-being than those who don't. The study included 20,000 people and its conclusions lead to incredibly clear advice. It doesn't matter what job you do, what culture you are from, how rich you are, or how healthy you are. Nature delivers every time. Nature deficit disorder is a real thing. There have now been over 1000 studies that prove the benefits of getting out and into beautiful and natural environments. Doing so reduces feelings of isolation. It lifts your mood. It makes you calmer and enhances your immune system.
There is also evidence to suggest that more exposure to nature translates into more community cohesion and substantially lower crime rates. Doctors in Japan have prescribed Shinrin yoku – or forest bathing - for decades as it is known to elevate levels of NK cells which fight tumours and infections. But we don't really need science to tell us this. We know how it feels to be out in green wonderland's, breathe deeply and feel as if we are where we should be.And it’s often in this space that our thinking brain has space to unwind. We have a tool - Talk It Out - which looks after our minds a little like going to the gym or eating well looks after our bodies.
It's a very simple way of processing our emotions and tapping into our subconscious so we understand what's going on in our heads at a much deeper level; thus, giving us insights into how to create more good days versus bad. As we walk, we naturally go deeper into our thinking and this is the perfect opportunity to use the Talk it Out app. And if we do that whilst we're also surrounded by nature the energetic kick that we get to our well-being is multiplied.
Choose nature more carefully. Get lost in the green. Breathe deeply, smile and soon Mother Nature will restore you. And if you ever want a proper boost; come visit us in Lyme Regis.
