Excited and ready to begin? Click HERE for a Free Nature Journaling mini class video - Also don't miss the free downloadable guide to nature journaling, just click on the tab in the top left of the navigation bar above. Reason Number One: You’ll experience less stress, anxiety, and negativity Nature journaling provides a way for you to encounter nature on a regular basis The scientific community is now compiling evidence to support what so many of us intuitively know. Being in nature calms the mind and helps you feel less anxiety, stress and negativity. David Strayer, of the University of Utah says ... we see changes in the brain and changes in the body that suggest we are physically and mentally healthier when we are interacting with nature. Reason Number Two: You’ll be a kinder more ethical person Time spent interacting with nature as you observe and journal has a positive impact on your behavior. “ An experiment conducted by Paul Piff of the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues, in which participants staring up at a grove of very tall trees for as little as one minute experienced measurable increases in awe, and demonstrated more helpful behavior and approached moral dilemmas more ethically, than participants who spent the same amount of time looking up at a high building. “ - Yes! Magazine, Jill Suttie, Mar, 12, 2016 Reason Number Three: You’ll improve your ecoliteracy and your memory Nature journaling helps you learn about the natural world and raises your ecoliteracy. Ecoliteracy is the ability to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible, and to understand the principles that organize ecosystems. However, before you can do any of that, you need to be familiar with the plants, animals and minerals that make up the world around you, especially in your own backyard. Lifelong learning is beautiful thing, keeping alive the sense of joy, wonder and curiosity we had when we were children. Keeping a nature journal is the perfect way to learn throughout life while forming a deeper connection with the natural world. Keeping a nature journal will not only make you a lifelong learner, you’ll also be improving your memory. Research done by Dr. Marc Berman and partners at the University of Michigan shows that performance on memory and attention tests improved by 20% after study subjects took a pause for a walk through an arboretum. Excited and ready to begin? Click HERE for a Free Nature Journaling mini class video Reason Number Four: Your creativity will flourish Recording observations in your nature journal of the the infinite variety and diversity in nature opens our minds to endless possibilities and attunes our senses towards natural beauty and harmony. We begin to creatively form connections and seek unique ways to express our growing awareness of what is beautiful and delightful around us in nature. David Strayer, of the University of Utah indicates that the kind of brain activity seen when we’re spending time in nature is “ the kind of brain activity—sometimes referred to as the brain default network—that is tied to creative thinking.” Reason Number Five: You’ll experience personal growth in heart and soul Your nature journal becomes a container in which you can freely and safely delve deep into the mysteries of nature, the Source of creation and your connection to both. By simply taking time to be in nature, to listen, observe, rejoice and contemplate we put ourselves in touch with something much bigger than ourselves, and we capture that in our journals in words and images. John P. Milton, in his book, Sky Above, Earth Below: Spiritual Practice in Nature writes, “Today, our modern world is filled with high-tech wonders. Our urban and suburban existence surrounds us with crowded, artificial environments of plastic, steel, concrete, and glass. Environmental toxins, high-stress lifestyles, devitalized food, loud noise, unnatural electromagnetic fields, and microwave radiation assail our cells and sensibilities. . .When we leave these tensions for a while to cultivate our natural wholeness in the wild, we are renewed with the fresh vitality and spirit of Nature. New pathways open for living in harmony with our communities and the Earth. We discover deep inspiration to help transform our lifestyles and our culture toward harmony and balance.” Michael Hyatt, former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, sums it up nicely when he writes…”God created humans in the wild and placed us in a garden. We’re meant to live a substantial portion of our lives outdoors—and it’s a unique place to experience our Creator and restore our spirits. Nature is God’s reset button for our minds, bodies, and spirits. If you’re spending all day indoors, you’re missing the restorative power of nature.” Excited and ready to begin? Click HERE for a Free Nature Journaling mini class video click image to enlarge Excited and ready to begin? Click HERE for a Free Nature Journaling mini class video