How to not just be in nature, but truly restore yourself through direct contact with the elements
Many people know that the best rest happens in nature. But not everyone understands that we receive real strength from nature only when we interact with it directly — and that has nothing to do with a barbecue. How to be in nature so that you fill up with energy and stay charged for many days afterward — about it in this article.
1. First, choose the place.
As a rule, the ideal place for restoring energy is where there is no phone signal at all. Spending several days far from civilization is always a powerful experience. If you plan a longer stay, the basic comforts of the modern world — at least a shop — will not hurt. A trip to a country house can also help you recover, but it depends on where that house is.
I usually choose Altai for my trips. I know many places there, and every summer I try to stay longer, go farther from people, and charge myself for the whole year.
2. After you choose the place, keep these things in mind.
If you have found that sought-after “wilderness,” a power place, the body needs time to rebuild its energies. At a densely populated village this “system reboot” is less obvious. But if you move from a big city into a place where there are not even streetlights at night, your body feels it immediately.
The most common signs of this energetic shift are: sleeping a lot at first, an unquenchable hunger, and a little sluggishness. Then the confusion appears: “I came here to gain strength, and instead I just lie in the house and feel wrecked.” In fact, these are the right processes. They mean the body is recovering deeply. Give yourself time to “just sleep” first — and only then go hiking and take strength from nature.
If possible, go to such energetically strong places for a week. If that is not possible, you will still need to go outside — but at a very slow pace, with early nights, late mornings, and good food.
3. About good food.
Any trip needs careful attention here. The body gets used to the water of your usual place, and then you suddenly change it — that is also a kind of stress (even if you replace tap water with a living spring). So, if possible, avoid the typical hiking menu: sausage-and-cheese sandwiches and dry snacks. Lean toward lighter food (in the beginning it is even better to give up meat). Fish can stay in the diet, though fresh fish takes more work.
These days many gas stations offer more than buns and hot dogs — there are even soups. Not homemade, of course, but as an alternative they work.
For cooking on site, grains are useful: buckwheat, oatmeal, long-grain rice, and so on, with vegetables. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and berries in summer; baked ones and compotes or berry drinks in cold seasons. Instead of tea and coffee, take the same compotes or focus on herbal teas (I usually bring a thermos of Ivan-chai and, depending on the season, add different herbs).
Even better — drink more water. Preferably warm, and more than your usual amount. Water helps the body release toxins — and that is one of the reasons we go into nature.
This is not the strictest rule, and I understand it can be hard to follow. Still, it is important to know.
4. Direct contact with nature.
By “interaction with nature” we mean specific natural elements. Which elements dominate in a place, you already sense intuitively when you choose it. If you want to work with Water, you look for a river, a clean lake, or the sea. If you want Earth, you are drawn to the mountains...
One place contains all the elements, but some will clearly prevail. You can use this: which element do you personally lack right now? An element is also a symbolic structure that describes qualities of a person. For example, a materialist who gives too much attention to material aspects of life may show pride and intellectual arrogance — an excess of Earth. There is so much of it that it is hard for this person to change an opinion or a job. Earth is weakened by Wood (the roots of a tree break the ground), so such a person should rest in a forest.
A hot temperament means a lot of Fire — and Water can cool it. That person would benefit from time near clean springs and waterfalls. Or the opposite: a lack of Fire — little life force, little desire to act and create — can be increased in hot places. And so on.
So when you arrive in a certain place, you can already understand which element you will receive from it. Direct your attention there. If you came to a pine forest, walk quietly among the pines. You can even hug a tree, feel its strength, or simply stand beside it. Let your spine connect with the trunk and become, as it were, its continuation. Through your breath, try to catch the link between your energy and the strength of the tree.
If Water dominates, remember that Water is also connected with cleansing. Even if you only swim or wash your face with local water, imagine that it washes away mental and energetic pollution. If you need Fire, let the sun in and feel it warming the whole body. If it is Earth, walk barefoot to ground yourself well. In places where Earth is strong (a mountain, for example), it is very good to pitch a tent and sleep directly on the ground, to take in its power. The Metal element is contact with megaliths and the power of stones (small stones can be taken with you as a reminder of that power).
5. You can take a piece of the place’s energy with you.
Gather a little earth in a small jar, a small stone, a small branch, a dried local plant, or a shell — as a reminder of healing water. Fire is a bit harder to carry, but a stone or sand from that place will hold it. Later you can use this “souvenir” for yourself: when you feel energetically empty, take in your hands what you brought from nature, sit with a straight back, close your eyes, and return to the memory and the feeling of that place.
As a rule, the ideal place for restoring energy is where there is no phone signal at all. Spending several days far from civilization is always a powerful experience. If you plan a longer stay, the basic comforts of the modern world — at least a shop — will not hurt. A trip to a country house can also help you recover, but it depends on where that house is.
I usually choose Altai for my trips. I know many places there, and every summer I try to stay longer, go farther from people, and charge myself for the whole year.
2. After you choose the place, keep these things in mind.
If you have found that sought-after “wilderness,” a power place, the body needs time to rebuild its energies. At a densely populated village this “system reboot” is less obvious. But if you move from a big city into a place where there are not even streetlights at night, your body feels it immediately.
The most common signs of this energetic shift are: sleeping a lot at first, an unquenchable hunger, and a little sluggishness. Then the confusion appears: “I came here to gain strength, and instead I just lie in the house and feel wrecked.” In fact, these are the right processes. They mean the body is recovering deeply. Give yourself time to “just sleep” first — and only then go hiking and take strength from nature.
If possible, go to such energetically strong places for a week. If that is not possible, you will still need to go outside — but at a very slow pace, with early nights, late mornings, and good food.
3. About good food.
Any trip needs careful attention here. The body gets used to the water of your usual place, and then you suddenly change it — that is also a kind of stress (even if you replace tap water with a living spring). So, if possible, avoid the typical hiking menu: sausage-and-cheese sandwiches and dry snacks. Lean toward lighter food (in the beginning it is even better to give up meat). Fish can stay in the diet, though fresh fish takes more work.
These days many gas stations offer more than buns and hot dogs — there are even soups. Not homemade, of course, but as an alternative they work.
For cooking on site, grains are useful: buckwheat, oatmeal, long-grain rice, and so on, with vegetables. Fresh vegetables, fruit, and berries in summer; baked ones and compotes or berry drinks in cold seasons. Instead of tea and coffee, take the same compotes or focus on herbal teas (I usually bring a thermos of Ivan-chai and, depending on the season, add different herbs).
Even better — drink more water. Preferably warm, and more than your usual amount. Water helps the body release toxins — and that is one of the reasons we go into nature.
This is not the strictest rule, and I understand it can be hard to follow. Still, it is important to know.
4. Direct contact with nature.
By “interaction with nature” we mean specific natural elements. Which elements dominate in a place, you already sense intuitively when you choose it. If you want to work with Water, you look for a river, a clean lake, or the sea. If you want Earth, you are drawn to the mountains...
One place contains all the elements, but some will clearly prevail. You can use this: which element do you personally lack right now? An element is also a symbolic structure that describes qualities of a person. For example, a materialist who gives too much attention to material aspects of life may show pride and intellectual arrogance — an excess of Earth. There is so much of it that it is hard for this person to change an opinion or a job. Earth is weakened by Wood (the roots of a tree break the ground), so such a person should rest in a forest.
A hot temperament means a lot of Fire — and Water can cool it. That person would benefit from time near clean springs and waterfalls. Or the opposite: a lack of Fire — little life force, little desire to act and create — can be increased in hot places. And so on.
So when you arrive in a certain place, you can already understand which element you will receive from it. Direct your attention there. If you came to a pine forest, walk quietly among the pines. You can even hug a tree, feel its strength, or simply stand beside it. Let your spine connect with the trunk and become, as it were, its continuation. Through your breath, try to catch the link between your energy and the strength of the tree.
If Water dominates, remember that Water is also connected with cleansing. Even if you only swim or wash your face with local water, imagine that it washes away mental and energetic pollution. If you need Fire, let the sun in and feel it warming the whole body. If it is Earth, walk barefoot to ground yourself well. In places where Earth is strong (a mountain, for example), it is very good to pitch a tent and sleep directly on the ground, to take in its power. The Metal element is contact with megaliths and the power of stones (small stones can be taken with you as a reminder of that power).
5. You can take a piece of the place’s energy with you.
Gather a little earth in a small jar, a small stone, a small branch, a dried local plant, or a shell — as a reminder of healing water. Fire is a bit harder to carry, but a stone or sand from that place will hold it. Later you can use this “souvenir” for yourself: when you feel energetically empty, take in your hands what you brought from nature, sit with a straight back, close your eyes, and return to the memory and the feeling of that place.
I think readers do not need a long explanation of ecological behavior: do not leave trash, do not destroy natural objects, and if you make a fire, do it in a safe place and before leaving pour water on the coals, even if it seems there is no heat left. For deeper restoration, I recommend turning off your smartphone while you are with nature, so that no extra background pulls your attention away.