Ever wonder why you feel so good after walking in the woods or sitting by the ocean?
Ancient Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge and modern scientific research reveal that nature improves our physical and mental health, our cognition, and even our social-emotional wellbeing.
The “Biophilia Hypothesis” states that our evolutionary origins within nature cultivated an innate affinity for nature.
Attention Restoration Theory and Stress Reduction Theory posit that nature restores our cognitive resource and naturally calms our nervous system, resulting in increased concentration and cognitive function, lowered stress levels, among other physical and mental health benefits.
New stress, who this?
The stress of our ancestors was surviving a storm or outrunning a predator. It was intense, acute, and functional. It ensured our survival.
The stress of today might look like the following:
- comparing ourselves to others,
- sitting in traffic,
- constant exposure to loud noises,
- managing schedules and deadlines,
- trying to get good grades in school,
- worrying about jobs, promotions, and money,
- constant email, text, and app notifications,
- anxiety about social approval and validation,
- being bombarded with advertisements and messaging that says you’re not enough
The list goes on.
The stress of today is low- and mid-grade, chronic, and it is dysfunctional. It doesn’t ensure our survival, but rather contributes significantly to many of the chronic physical, mental, and social health conditions that plague our friends, families, and communities, or that we even experience ourselves.
What changed?
For thousands of years, people lived in nature. They went to nature to heal, to play, to engage in spiritual practices, and relied on nature for their survival and livelihood.
In many ways, we haven’t changed all that much. Nature still provides these benefits for us, except sadly many of us have become deeply disconnected from the natural world.
Many natural spaces have been destroyed or become less accessible due to industrialization and urban sprawl.
Modern society, employment, and recreation, generally keeps us indoors, looking at screens, and sedentary.
In short, nature is less accessible, we are over-sheltered, hyper-stimulated, under-active, and rarely aware of our own unconscious, conditioned patterns and stress reactions.
The Mindful Nature Approach
Engaging nature, health, and cognition research; mindfulness; and integrative coaching to help you reconnect, restore, and thrive.
Educate on the restorative physical and mental health benefits of nature and co-create easily implementable actions to increase your nature exposure and more effectively engage the restorative benefits.
Guide you through informal mindfulness practices to cultivate “non-judgmental and compassionate awareness” of the present moment and your unconscious thought and behavior patterns.
Facilitate self-exploration and personal development exercises and techniques, coaching you to make high-impact, meaningful and lasting changes in your life to improve your overall wellbeing.
Introductory Call: 30-minute call to learn more about you or your organization and why you are interested in working together. I’ll introduce myself and the Mindful Nature approach, and then field any initial questions you have. We’ll figure out the best plan moving forward for you.
Physical
- Increase movement
- Enhance immune function
- Decrease cortisol levels
- Manage blood pressure
- Improve sleep
- Reconnect to body and sensations
Mental
- Develop mental resilience
- Improve clarity and concentration
- Spark creativity
- Ease depression, anxiety, and ADHD
- Regulate nervous system and stress response
Social-Emotional
- Improve mood and mindset
- Enhance emotional regulation
- Strengthen relationships
- Increase sense of connection, gratitude, and acceptance
Erich Keyser, M.A., ILC
My life is a rather wandering and winding adventure of self-exploration and growth, which held many moments of feeling lost and unclear. I have over a decade of experience across higher education, consulting, community-based research, and athletic coaching.
I journeyed from being a resident advisor in college, to an environmental and social science researcher and consultant during and after graduate school, where I worked with Indigenous nations across Canada and the United States. I’ve had the privilege of serving students as a college instructor and a Track & Field coach. I was a rock climbing instructor and I even had a short stint in public service with the USDA Climate Hub.
On first glance, one might wonder, “how does all of this relate to nature and wellbeing?” Great question!
At the core of my professional experience, and at the core of Nature, Health, and Wellbeing education and coaching, is listening to and building trust with others. It’s about genuine connection and embracing who we are, our messiness, perceived flaws, gifts, and the stories and experiences that shape us. I’ve spent this time honing my ability to create a safe space, listen deeply, ask curious questions, get at the heart of the matter, and help people learn and develop new skills and knowledge to learn more about themselves, make informed-decisions, and achieve their goals.
My past studies and lines of work also critically engaged human-environment relations: our relationships to nature and to the spaces in which we live, work, play, and learn; how our worldviews shape these relationships, and how these relationships and dynamics impact our society, the earth, and our lives. I’ve also spent years of my life being outside (whether forced as a kid because it was good for me, or by my own choosing because I craved the clarity, comfort, and release of going for a trail run, a hike, or quiet meditation by a lake).
I’ve also experienced what happens when I don’t go outside, when my life falls out of balance, when I lose my sense of self, my clarity, and how this impacts my overall health and wellbeing. I have been committed to my healing and transformational journey towards greater wellbeing, balance, and clarity, and I continue to do so. Being outside, renewing my relationship with nature, and developing a mindfulness practice were, and still remain, central to my own wellbeing and life journey. Indigenous knowledge, ancient cultural wisdom, and western scientific research across the world supports the holistic benefits of nature connection and mindfulness practices. Not only do these experiences improve our physical and mental health, they can enhance our social relationships, enhance our sense of connectedness, and offer a deep sense of peace.
I hope to share these with you and I am looking forward to the opportunity to walk alongside you on your journey.
Personal Experience & Areas of Focus
- Corporate and Individual Wellbeing — Stress and Burnout: helping you create greater balance in your life to relieve feelings of stress, burnout, and overwhelm
- Education and Community Engagement: nature, health, and wellbeing education for organizations and communities
- Research and Policy: collaborations to conduct nature, health, and wellbeing research and inform policy and practice in education, city and community planning, and healthcare
- College Students and Athletes: performance anxiety, overcoming injury, facing failure, managing expectations and pressure, transitioning to life after competition and college
- General Personal Development, Wellness & Life Goals: empowering you to clear what’s blocking you from achieving balance and your goals in wellness and life, moving forward confidently with enhanced knowledge, self-understanding, and skills
- Lost, Confused, Creatively Blocked, and Disoriented: helping you navigate, cope with, and transform feelings of directionless, loneliness, melancholy, confusion, creative blockages, and when you lack motivation and clarity in life
Nature, Health & Wellbeing 