Nature Therapy

The things of nature are "good for the soul" and I wish people would take more time to appreciate the wonders of nature all around us. It's FREE! Nothing feeds the soul, mind and spirit like a flower, a hummingbird, a tree, the wind or a sun-drenched pink and gold evening sky.

Here are 10 scientific proofs that nature is natural therapy:

1. In a study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, researchers found that people experienced more deaths from heart disease and respiratory disease when they lived in areas where trees had disappeared.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/trees-linked-with-human-h_n_2505267.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&ir=Green

2. Those who live in the areas with the most amount of green space have lower levels of cortisol (known as the stress-hormone), and their self-reported feeling of stress were lower than those who spent more time in urban settings.http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotional-health/spending-time-outside-relieves-stress
 
3. Spending days in nature, away from electronic devices, is linked with 50% higher scores on a test for creativity. The findings provide “a rationale for trying to understand what is a healthy way to interact in the world, and that burying yourself in front of a computer 24/7 may have costs that can be remediated by taking a hike in nature,” study researcher David Strayer, a psychology professor at the University of Utah. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/creativity-nature-unplug-recharge-_n_2286735.html

4. Walking through nature evidence of lower frustration, engagement and arousal, and higher concentration and positive emotions. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23467965

5. ADHD symptoms within children are greatly reduced when in the presence of nature and after doing activities in nature. Findings were consistent across age, gender, and income groups; community types; geographic regions; and diagnoses. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448497

6. Two hours of forest walking improves the following sleep characteristics; impacting actual sleep time, immobile minutes, self-rated depth of sleep, and sleep quality. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3216244

7. Living in a green environment with plants in your home is linked to lower stress reduction and improve stress moderation and management. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169204611003665

8. Walking through nature decreases brain fatigue. When volunteers walked through urbanized areas with heavy traffic, their brain wave patterns consistently showed that they were more aroused, attentive and frustrated than when they walked through the parkland, where brain-wave readings became more meditative. This study encourages “taking a break from work,” Dr. Roe said, and “going for a walk in a green space or just sitting, or even viewing green spaces from your office window.” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/27/easing-brain-fatigue-with-a-walk-in-the-park/

9. Juyoung Lee of Chiba University found that leisurely forest walks, compared with urban walks, yield a 12.4% decrease in the stress hormone cortisol, a seven percent decrease in sympathetic nerve activity, a 1.4% decrease in blood pressure, and a 5.8% decrease in heart rate. On subjective tests, study participants also report better moods and lower anxiety. http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/wellness/Take-Two-Hours-of-Pine-Forest-and-Call-Me-in-the-Morning.html?page=all 

10. Nature walks can even fight disease and cancer by increasing your NK (natural killer) cells that are essentially to the innate immune system. When participants agreed to go on morning and afternoon nature hikes, blood tests showed that their NK cells had increased 40 percent. A month later, their NK count was still 15 percent higher than when they started. By contrast, during urban walking trips, NK levels didn’t change.http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/wellness/Take-Two-Hours-of-Pine-Forest-and-Call-Me-in-the-Morning.html?page=all

  "Come forth into the light of things, let NATURE be your teacher." - William Wordsworth

Breathe in the beauty of nature.

Spring Happiness

Lately, I've been spending outside taking lots of pictures. I think I have found a new passion. I've always been fascinated with photography and I also enjoy looking at beautiful pictures from people around the world. I'm passionate about sharing pictures that I took with the world to see my point of view and hopefully I learn something a long the way. This year Spring has been gorgeous and it's all about fluffy clouds, blooming flowers, chirping birds and lots of sunshine. Anywhere is beautiful when it's sunny and dry. I love blue sky in Oregon. I personally love pleasant weather in spring. Being with nature makes me happy and I have develop great interest in exploring outdoors.

“Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” - Elliott Erwitt

I'm in awe of anyone who finds something that he/she likes and be able to capture God's creation either through music or photography which is universal language that can be understood by people around the globe, it's amazing talent.

There are so many things to learn than just photography. I am now inspired to learn how to observe, capture the moments and choosing the objects. Elliot Erwitt said: “All the technique in the world doesn’t compensate for the inability to notice.”

I joined Instagram in late 2012 and I'm already hooked! I love taking pictures of anything that tickles my interest but mostly nature's beauty.

I have learned so much from others along the way and one of the best things that I like is when your picture get pick to be featured on one of the challenges. I love getting the 'likes' and sweet compliments from amazing people who already have really nice gallery. I love how people from around the world connecting through picture and congratulating each other. I feel like every one is sharing the same passion.

If you like to check it out, follow me here: http://instagram.com/lanicantik or view my photo gallery: http://twenty20.com/lanicantik and http://lanicantik.vsco.co/

“A photograph that has not been shared or at least printed is almost an unexistent photograph, is almost an untaken picture.” 

All around the world, the present moment is filled with beauty.
If you are attentive, you will see it. If you are willing, you will help create it.
Let’s take a moment to think about the beautiful things happening around us.
Right now, at this exact moment…

Here are top 10 favorite photography quotes that I like: http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2012/06/101-inspirational-street-photography-quotes
 
1. “The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” – Oscar Wilde

2. “The photograph is completely abstracted from life, yet it looks like life. That is what has always excited me about photography.” – Richard Kalvar

3. “Ultimately photography is about who you are. It’s the truth in relation to yourself. And seeking truth becomes a habit.” – Leonard Freed

4. “The camera is an excuse to be someplace you otherwise don’t belong. It gives me both a point of connection and a point of separation.” – Susan Meiselas

5. “I think good dreaming is what leads to good photographs.” – Wayne Miller

6. “I fell in love with the process of taking pictures, with wandering around finding things. To me it feels like a kind of performance. The picture is a document of that performance.” – Alec Soth

7. “It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.” – David Bailey

8. “Not everybody trusts paintings but people believe photographs.” – Ansel Adams

9. “Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” – Anonymous

10. “You can give everything to photography but photography will give you only 1 thing – happiness.” – Anonymous

“This is your time to fly away and chase all your dreams, remember life is like a play, you must act each scene with passion--embracing and enjoying the part. If you should ever get lost along the way, look to the stars, take a deep breath and follow your heart.”

“Every human being on the planet wants to be happy. Anything that anyone desires is because they think their desire will make them happy. Whether it is health, money, a loving relationship, material things, accomplishments, a job, or anything at all, the desire for happiness is the bottom line of all of them. But remember that happiness is a state inside of us, and something on the outside can only bring fleeting happiness, because material things are impermanent. Permanent happiness comes from you choosing to be permanently happy. When you choose happiness, then you attract all the happy things as well. The happy things are the icing on the cake, but the cake is happiness.” ~Rhonda Byrne (From The Secret Daily Teachings)