Jambo dear traveler,
This is Reshma from Safari Unsold.
And I want to explain why nature-based meditations and simply listening to soundscapes of nature,
Like the birds,
Like the insects,
Like the gentle breeze,
Are so important to our nervous systems.
So in our nervous system,
We have two key strands.
We have the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
The sympathetic nervous system can be considered to be our accelerator,
The one that keeps us going,
Saying,
Go,
Go,
Go,
Go,
Go,
The one that's always got us running or pushing for what we need to do.
Whereas the parasympathetic nervous system is the break,
The one that sets us on a pause.
The one that sets us towards rest,
The one that helps us calm down.
A lot of research shows that looking at nature and listening to nature sounds actually increases the parasympathetic activity in our nervous system.
So essentially,
It actually reduces our feelings of chaos and having to accelerate and takes us to a space of reset and calm.
And that's really helpful for us.
So listening to sounds like this.
Can actually help us calm down.
And over the years,
Research has shown,
Even by putting patients in hospitals,
One at a window looking out into nature and one simply looking at a wall,
That the recovery rate for those looking out a window are much higher.
Research has also shown that access to nature enhances our ability to think clearly as well.
And if we cannot access nature every single day,
Simply having even a plant,
Especially a flowering plant in our home,
Our office,
Can have tremendous effects.
Some research even showed that flowering plants in offices reduced sick leave by a significant amount.
And so immersion in spaces like this can be tremendously helpful.
And if you cannot find the time to go into spaces like this,
I hope that you can join me here on Insight Timer and be immersed either visually or simply by listening in to these sounds.
