Wellness and Spiritual Wellbeing

Image courtesy of Joanna Hanson

Yoga, meditation, and medicinal herbs have been used by ancient cultures around the world for thousands of years to nurture healthy, balanced, vibrant individuals and communities. While conventional Western medicine focuses on treating the symptoms of disease, many of the ancient healing arts address the root cause of sickness and disease.  When we apply a whole systems approach to wellness, fundamentally based in ancient, traditional healing arts, we increase our capacity to heal ourselves.[1]  When we nurture our mind, body, and spirit as one, we cultivate deep, lasting wellness, peace, and happiness from within.

Science gives us the basic underpinnings of life, but not everything can be explained by academia. The theory of evolution explains the origin of matter and the way that every living thing evolved from stardust, but what about the spirit?  Since we came into existence, the human body has gone through a long evolutionary journey from carbon from space to the physical body.  Is it then so far fetched to imagine that we might still have some connection to the stars?  Just as the spirit eludes much of scientific investigation, direct observation of the world around us reveals many truths; dissection, and repetitive, costly, time-consuming scientific investigations are not always necessary or beneficial.

Because humans have lived intimately in nature throughout most of our history, we are evolutionarily connected to, and profoundly affected by nature. Scientists have coined our innate attraction to nature as the “biophilia hypothesis.”[2]  Nature has been shown to increase our psychological well-being and cognitive function; people who spend time in nature have fewer physical ailments and recover more swiftly from illness.[3]  It is undeniable that human wellbeing is fostered when we are in nature.  To be healthy, balanced human beings, we need to be directly connected to nature, whether it is through gardening, visiting a local park, going on a hike, or merely sitting, meditating, or observing the outdoors.

Our Wellness Center will be dedicated to preserving, recovering, strengthening, and sharing traditional wellness and spiritual wellbeing practices with our local community and all other interested visitors. We are not affiliated with any one religion, spiritual practice, or belief.  To encourage spiritual evolution, we practice and promote open communication, respect, peace, and love. Respecting, protecting, and nurturing cultures is as important as rejuvenating the last of our earth’s wild areas. We strive to be a place open to learning about traditional health practices of all kinds so as to support their protection for future generations and ensure they are not completely lost to western medicinal ideals or commercial endeavors. If traditional medicines and healing practices are no longer practiced, we will lose cultural and spiritual traditions, and a wealth of indigenous knowledge.

Visiting a rainforest can have a profound effect on our mind, body, and spirit, as it is easier to feel our connection to the earth in a place so teeming with life.  At Wild Earth Stewardship Center, we strive to create opportunities for visitors to reconnect to nature and enhance their spiritual wellbeing, to experience first hand a sense of wonder, understanding, and appreciation for the plant life, creatures, and cultures who live in the rainforest, and to inspire a desire in people to embrace care for the earth and for all living things so as to serve as earth stewards when they return home.