Nature is the physical and natural world around us, nourishing and sustaining all life on Earth. According to ancient Greek mythology, Gaia is the divine personification of Earth, the matriarch goddess of all life, and mother to Uranus, the Titans, and the Olympians. Respect, awe, and love for Earth or mother Nature has been a part of all ancient cultures and human history. That was till the advent of the industrial revolution, after which the natural world was seen as something to be used and conquered; man started to compete with nature, rather than corporate with her.
This competition and detachment from nature was further intensified in the wake of the technological era, rapid urbanisation gave rise to a “man vs wild” schema where we started deeming ourselves separate to nature. This divide is most apparent in the 21st century digital age with space only for urban perfect competition. (Did you know by 2050 about 2/3rd of the human population will be city dwelling!) We are increasingly spending more time indoors, behind a screen or wheel, we’re so busy with the hustle that we’re actively neglecting our own health, and our world around us. This capitalist rat-race had started plaguing me sometime in April- every time I opened my Instagram account I was put off by my progress as an artist, in comparison to the work I was being exposed to on my explore page. I used to enjoy scrolling through thousands of tattoos in a day- before pursing tattooing as a career- but it has started to become demotivating, I was stressed feeling trapped in a hostile concrete jungle, and happiness started seeming increasingly elusive in this fast paced perfectly competitive world.
In my previous articles I’ve shared the different ways in which I’ve tried to deal with stress, and find peace and happiness amidst this constant sensory overload and I’ve realised Nature is the antidote! On productive days if I did not leave home, I felt irritable and restless, but on days I went to my terrace, or a walk by the Arabian sea even for half an hour, the wholesome sensory awareness of breathing in the great outdoors offered me a respite from my over-active mind. Being in nature optimises nervous system functions, improves vision and memory functions. A study on the cognitive benefits of nature’s found that subjects who took a nature walk did better on a memory test than the subjects who walked down urban streets. (Berman, Jonides, & Kaplan, 2008).
“In every walk with nature one receives far more than one seeks.”- John Muir, 19 July 1877
Photo Courtesy Taabish RayaniStill, I needed a break from the city scuffle, I was losing so much of my time, resources and productivity to stress that I realised I needed to create my own healthy outdoors space-time to enhance my life through a connection with nature. So, before lockdown 3.0 hit and I had to sit inside 4 walls again till further notice, I managed to make it to the mountains of India- Kalga, Parvati Valley.
Environmental psychology and public health researchers have found that nature, or being in nature has a vital contribution to the way we think, feel and behave. It contributes to physical wellbeing by elevating moods, improving the nervous, endocrine, immune system and cognitive functions, chronic pain, cardiac illness, blood pressure, hypertension, heart rate, muscle tension. Reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) production, enhancing emotional and spiritual wellbeing, possibly reducing mortality. The risks of detachment from nature are higher than that of depression and isolation, Gaia helps us cope with, and soothe our pain. We find nature inherently interesting because we are genetically inclined to do so (it’s called the Biophilia hypothesis) which is why crashing waves, babbling brooks, pitter-patter of rain, crackling fires and the cool breeze rustling through the trees is so calming. In our ever-urbanising schemas, and world, we need nature more than ever.
This growing body of research had pushed me to leave my urban hive and the irritations of city life. I stayed in Kalga for two months, meeting, and tattooing some wonderful travellers, going for treks, and volunteering at a café. I can safely say, it was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life that I am so grateful for. It was just me, and the silent breeze flowing through pine trees. For two months I slept outside, under a blanket of stars, falling asleep to the moon setting in the valley; waking up to the sounds of a river flowing beneath, dogs howling, and a choir of chirping birds, catching glorious sunsets. I’ve never been more content, and at peace. I was heartbroken when I had to leave that magical mountain, all good things must end but I cannot express the deepened appreciation and awe I have for my planet. For this new found relationship with nature, I am eternally thankful and I cannot wait to cultivate it.
I think we all need to be woken up by a rooster or just the natural world, not a phone alarm at least twice a month. To reset, to recharge, and to check in with nature now and again in our lives that seem un-detachable from technology. Of all the varied things I tried- breathing techniques, mindfulness, meditation, gratuity, strong bonds- they had a lesser collective calming impact for me than just immersing myself, and interacting with nature. Formalise your relationship with nature, so we can understand her therapeutic effects, while healing her, and return to collectively feeling love for her, because we only care about things we love and we need to start caring for, not competing with and destroying this Earth. For, I think, there is no greater peace, solitude, freedom, and harmony, than just letting all questions of introspection dissolve to respect, love, coorporation and coexistence with Nature.
Written By Taabish Rayani
I was born and bred in Mumbai, but I consider myself a resident of Pangaea. I’m a stick and poke tattoo artist, I like dogs more than humans, and I would rather read an ancient satire by Aristophanes, than watch a Marvel movie (I know, what a classical gyp). I believe life is happy if you are the person your dog thinks you are!
Week 37, September 2021
