Excerpt from Ilchi Lee’s book, Brain Wave Vibration:

I would like to propose that direct, positive experience of and interaction with nature is essential to your health. Since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, humankind has become increasingly disconnected from the Earth that sustains us, and the effect has been regrettable. In the most obvious ways, human health is currently threatened by environmental problems, such as pollution and ozone depletion. But I would also like to suggest that the effects of this go deeper, that disconnection from nature is essentially a spiritual problem that subsequently leads to problems of the body and mind as well.

Author Richard Louv, in his book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder , suggests that many of the mental and emotional problems that have become increasingly prevalent in children are linked to their decreasing amount of direct contact with nature. He cites one study in which kids with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were found to focus better on tasks when in natural settings instead of urban surroundings.

Ilchi Lee further suggests:

If you find yourself unable to concentrate, perhaps you will agree that not only children can fall victim to nature-deficit disorder. I would contend that part of the reason adults are increasingly stricken with anxiety, depression, and other forms of psychological distress is because they are simply not grounded.

Ilchi Lee meant grounded here in the most literal sense: people are disconnected from the very Earth that sustains their lives. It is evident in the ways we produce our food, choose to work, and interact with one another. As we disconnect from nature, we also seem to disconnect from each other; our relationships sour and our mental health is compromised. And, as we continue to ignore the important role of the Earth in our lives, we allow the planet to slip ever closer to environmental ruin, and we unintentionally invite the physical illnesses that accompany this—cancer, respiratory disorders, endocrine disruption, and so forth.

Posted by Phil in Dahn Yoga

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