It was Paracelsus, the 16th-century German-Swiss physician, who wrote: ‘The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.’
The Global Wellness Summit identified the key trends in 2018 that positively impact the Wellness industry, the trends were a riveting reading! In fact, so incisive was the above quote from its Prescribing Nature Report, that it took my breath away for it’s not only an astonishing summation of our current focus as a travel specialist – but it also manages to encapsulate where we are, as both a people and a planet.
With terms such as the ‘medicalizing of nature’, ‘eco-therapy’ and ‘the nature economy’ mentioned throughout the report, I was fascinated to learn of doctors from Washington to Scotland, who write prescriptions for patients to spend time outdoors and in parks, while in Japan the therapeutic practice of shinrin-yoku or ‘forest bathing’ (the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness) is proving to be hugely popular too. With nature prescriptions gaining in popularity, it’s only a matter of time before the medical profession adopts this approach in hospitals too, with the design and greening of hospital gardens becoming an ever more critical aspect of the wellness program. It’s estimated that by the year 2050, 68% of the world’s population will live in cities – so it stands to reason that in the future something as simple as a walk in nature will become harder to find. If spending time in nature is the new standard for wellness, one need only look at our current and seemingly unstoppable trend to green our indoor spaces as yet another clue to our unconscious need to reconnect with nature.
The report also speaks about Biophilia, from the Greek meaning ‘love of life and the living world,’ it’s a term that became popular about thirty years ago when Edward O. Wilson, a biologist, theorist, naturalist and author, stated that loving nature is part of our DNA. ‘We love nature because we learned to love the things that helped us survive. We are hard wired to affiliate with the natural world and just as our health improves when we are in it, so our health suffers when we are divorced from it.’ In short, nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.
Of course, it’s exactly this kind of powerful discourse that informs the Rewilding: ROAR & RESTORE Retreat, designed as a five-day learning journey of reconnecting, self-discovery and self-realization in the wilds of Kenya. Set to take place at Kenya’s Segera Retreat from May 31st – June 5th 2019, guests will avail themselves to 50,000 acres of wilderness on Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau where they will experience an unparalleled luxury and exclusivity that is both intuitive and discerning. We chose Segera for a good reason. A decade ago, the entire property was a wasteland – overgrazed and denuded of its flora and fauna, not to mention the livelihood of its community. That is until businessman, philanthropist and visionary Jochen Zeitz bought it and set about rewilding the land, reinstating the wildlife and creating a sustainable ecosystem that would benefit the local community. Today it’s not only the headquarters for the Zeitz Foundation but it’s also a Long Run Destination and a recognized Global Ecosphere Retreat.