Outdoor Massage

"There is nothing like the sound of running, rushing water."

—Brian Marsh

There are myriad health benefits to time spent in nature.

To promote the vision of health and vitality toward increased peace, justice, equity, and harmony with nature and one another in the world, I wish to recognize the healing powers of nature from five perspectives. For lack of better words, they are scientific, spiritual, political, energetic, and local perspectives.

Science and Spirit

From the scientific perspective, science echoes what we know instinctively, that being in nature is necessary for optimal health. Time in nature is linked with boosted immunity; better sleep; reduced levels of stress, depression and anxiety; increased feelings of happiness; and improved mood; posing significant implications for mental health and overall wellness.

From a spiritual perspective, being in nature reminds us that we are not separate from the natural world or one another. We co-arise, co-exist, and are interconnected.

Land and Culture

From a political perspective, land is equity. Land is justice. Land is wealth. Land is culture. We are dependent on the wealth of resources of land and nature, for food and water, for fresh air, for shelter and recreation. When we are connected with nature, we see the need to protect the environment and live within harmony of the earth and one another. We wish to preserve the sacred quality of the world.

From an energetic perspective, a friend Emma commented in an outdoor session that the general energy of the Finger Lakes is a "feminine" energy. While there are those of us moving toward a nonbinary gender language that would refrain from delineating the terms "feminine" and "masculine" as a strict binary with two options to move between, there are notions of yin and yang as two compelling, complementary and opposing forces ever present in a dualistic world. There is the notion of yin expressed as shade and water, dampness and darkness, aspects of the gorges we can observe here in the Finger Lakes. The energy and movement is downward, inward.

Finger Lakes

Finally, from a local perspective, the Finger Lakes valley of Central New York is a beautiful place in the world, amongst many other beautiful places. I have heard that the Indigenous peoples believed Ithaca to be auspicious if not a sacred area for the meeting of three river beds. Since then, names such as the Emerald Necklace have been given to the scenic greenery and forests that surround Ithaca. The beauty of the waters, gorges, waterfalls, forests, and lakes refresh and inspire us. When we find ourselves in an environment surrounded by beauty, we can begin to relate with it and let that permeate our lives.

Hence, for reasons from a scientific, spiritual, political, energetic and local perspective, I wish to recognize the healing powers of nature and this valley. I wish for my clients and community to connect deeply with the spirits of the land and living histories of the land, if not connect deeply with their own bodies, minds and spirits while being surrounded by natural beauty.