Why Being Outdoors is Good Medicine

Our systems have an amazing ability to sync up with rhythms we find ourselves next to. Scientists call this “entraining” and it was first observed in clocks – when left alone, they will end up synchronizing the swing of their pendulum. A similar phenomenon is apparent in other contexts – two bodies next to each other can end up matching their breathing rate and heart rate. We are very impressionable beings.

Most of us spend our days surrounded by manmade structures, immersed in technology of one kind of another – the straight lines and flat planes of typical architecture, or the moving bits and bytes on a computer display. We are actually taking on the imprint of these non-natural influences, the unrelenting pace and mechanized precision, and the effects are not measured or considered in the context of a healthy bodily rhythm. 

Nature tends to move in cycles. There are fast paced stretches followed by slower stretches. There is an inherent balance of surging and slowing, rising and falling, observable in light and dark over a 24-hour period, or gusts of wind during a storm.

Our bodies and minds have not evolved as fast as our technology, and I wonder what being immersed in a non-changing environment for hours on end is doing to us, as we entrain to those mechanized rhythms. It seems this resetting of our rhythmic nature, as many of us spend more time on computers for the bulk of our days, could be a piece of the puzzle that often gets reduced simply to the problems with a “sedentary lifestyle.” What if it’s this mechanized rhythm that is feeding the surge in anxiety and depression we can see in our communities, the feeling that we can’t keep up, or that something overwhelming is coming?

Being outside in proximity to any part of nature puts us back in the influence of natural rhythms. Spending time with trees, animals, water, wind, or plants, our natural rhythm is supported. We are not built for constant effort, productivity, or attention. We need cycles. To extend a metaphor, spending time in nature literally restores our system to the manufacturer’s settings. And it doesn’t even have to take that long. Just 20 minutes can make a huge impact. 

Ayurveda is well-known for its intensive detoxifying treatments, such as those employed in panchakarma treatment (see below), which can reverse disease progression and remove excess dosha from the system. However, Ayurveda also enumerates a powerful set of palliative therapies, which can help to restore balance in a more gentle fashion. 

Among these palliative therapies is Atapa Seva, which translates loosely as sun basking. Today we know sunlight stimulates the skin to manufacture Vitamin D, a compound shown to be critical to an increasing number of bodily processes including digestion, bone strength, and mental health. This simple act of taking in natural sunlight is a shining example of how nature itself can be medicine.

Another palliative treatment is Maruta Seva, or wind bathing. Receiving the clarifying, lightening effect of fresh air in our lungs and our senses is indeed necessary to good health, as we all know in this time of increasing urban air pollution and rises in airborne pathogens. Natural wind is enlivening, and taking in breath effectively enhances our prāna or lifeforce. Several recent studies have highlighted the positive impact of effective nose-breathing on multiple vital measures, such as blood pressure, heart rate variability, even healthy weight (see Breath by James Nestor).

My teacher Dr. Vasant Lad often teaches about “5 Sense Therapy,” giving our sense organs natural and pleasing inputs. The effect on our nervous system is soothing and restorative, building resilience. For example, remove your eye glasses and let your eyes receive the input of nature, unfiltered, resting your gaze on objects close at hand then shifting to objects in the distance. Put the hyper-receptive tactile tissues of your fingers in the dirt, and inhale the aroma of the soil, flowers, or grasses. Listen to birds and the rustling of leaves, or the sound of water moving downstream. 

So it is not merely poetic to say that being outdoors is good medicine for our bodies and minds. All of Ayurveda’s teachings show us how to live in harmony with nature – and our bodies adjust to match the tenor and beat of the instruments around us. So just as we know exercise is important on a regular basis, immerse yourself regularly in natural surroundings. Find time today, or tomorrow at the latest, and put your senses in contact with nature!