Nature Bathing

0:00From the world of personal transformation, this is a better you and a minute or two, with Dr. John McGrail, a nationally and internationally renowned hypnotherapist, self-improvement expert, and teacher of spirituality. Dr. McGrail is a leading voice and personal growth in mind-body transformation. As founder of a Better You Incorporated, he's helped clients around the globe to private sessions, seminars, keynotes, and powerful interactive workshops. He is also the author of the synthesis effect, your direct path to personal power and transformation, and has been featured in major media, including Time, Readers Digest, US News and World Report, Huffington Post and BBC Radio. And now, here's Dr. John. Hey, here we are, midweek already. It's amazing how fast time flies, speaking of time flying. That's one of the reasons we get so stressed out, because we are trying to do too many things at once.

1:03This week is all about following up on your questions and comments and suggestions regarding the shows that I did the week's past, the last week, the week before, about handling anxiety, controlling it, some strategies, stressing out or not. Is this life and death? I mean, that's so easy, and the answer is so obvious most of the time. And of course, yesterday I talked about a very simple technique to help you learn or begin to learn how to become more mindful and more present, because it is mindfulness and presence that allows us to slow the train down in those moments and actually ask that question, is this worth my stress? Nah, I think I'll just stay chill. Okay, so a lot of people have asked overnight, are there other things to do? Well, yeah, there are many other things to do, but I'm going to give you one of my very, very favorites. And this really was part, it comes from Native American philosophy. I first started studying Native American philosophy when I was in what I like to call my great awakening period when I was sort of rediscovering myself, rediscovering spirituality, which most of us in Western culture have long forgotten or never even been exposed to.

2:10And if you do a little research, you'll find quickly that the Native cultures, the indigenous peoples of the world, regardless of where they live, all have very similar worldviews, if you will. Yes, the ceremonies and the rituals and that sort of thing may be different. I call that cultural semantics, depending on it, but their basic worldview, live in balance with yourself, live in balance with mother earth and nature, live in balance with all the creatures on the planet, and you're going to be a happy camera. Okay, I am really oversimplifying this. But one of the things that I learned early on in order to start creating this feeling was spending time in nature. In fact, it's a trend these days. I'm sure a lot of you have heard about it. Nature bathing, they call it. Like this some new discovery. Oh my goodness, look at this. Spend time in nature and you chill. You feel calm. You know why? That's our home folks. That's where we came from. And the people that live in nature have been doing it for thousands and thousands of years.

3:10And they're healthier. They live more balanced lives. They don't have all the wacky diseases that we are suffering from nowadays. And so yes, this is another wonderful way to further your ability to become mindful and present. Get out there in the wilderness. Get as far away from humanity and civilization as you can and just be in nature. Now as I say this, it's important because a lot of people say, okay, I'm going to go to some hiking books and I'm going to get out there and walk the trails. And I see this happen all the time because I still spend and my wife as well as much time in the woods, in nature, in the wilderness as possible. Washing off the fallout from living in modern technology driven society because it really does suck you dry if you let it. Okay. Now right after this message, I'm going to tell you what and how to do this forest bathing if you will or nature bathing in a way that really works rather than what you might be thinking. I'll be right back. The free talk they hear you mobile app and screen for success tool can help you turn everyday situations into opportunities to talk with your kids about alcohol and other drugs and identify if they need more support. Download the app today and keep your kids safe and healthy.

4:23Okay. So here we're talking about nature bathing or forest bathing, a new trend, a new fat in modern society. How about that? Let's get away from civilization and get quiet. The thing that most people do unfortunately is they put their hiking boots on and they find trail and then off they go and they're walking down the trail and they're saying, okay, well then I had this meeting and then she said and then, oh, you know, like, like, like, and you know, so what's happening? Nothing, you're not there. You're where you were. You're still in the other world. In order for this to work, you have to be quiet. You have to go slow. Try walking at one mile an hour. It's called the Fox walk or try even better. Just sitting. Find some place comfortable to sit and just sit and then just be quiet. Just sit quietly and watch what happens. Become part of the landscape and you know what's going to happen? The wildlife, which are scattered a million miles away when you're going down the trail saying, okay, and then she said and I said, oh, like, I'm like, when you're not doing that, when you become part of the landscape, become a tree, become a rock.

5:26The wildlife forgets you're there after a while and they come back out and you will see some of the most amazing things. You will feel the incredible energy that is our natural world, our natural home. You will feel at peace. You will feel tranquil. You will feel balanced and guess what? You become more mindful. Does this take practice? Absolutely, but I cannot recommend it highly enough. Please folks, give it a try and let me know what happens. It may take a few trips. But give it a try. Sit for a half an hour. Just sit and do nothing for 30 minutes in the natural world. You will be glad you did and you will thank me because life's going to be a lot more fun and you're going to feel like you're living it a lot larger. And you know what? That's what this is all about. Okay, I'm done. See you tomorrow. Thanks for listening to a Better You in a Minute or two. The show that helps you live more joyfully and powerfully a few minutes at a time.

6:28To learn more about Dr. John and his work, visit Dr. John McGrale.com. If you have personal questions, would like to work with Dr. John or book him as a speaker, call 1-800-369-1516 or email Dr. John McGrale at gmail.com. You'll receive a personal and confidential response. Until next time, be well and be your best self.