Reconnecting with the Earth with Laura Adrian

Marlee sits down with Laura Adrian, Wilderness Guide, Community Herbalist, Yoga Instructor, and Writer, for an important conversation about rediscovering the support and healing available to us from Mother Earth. Marlee and Laura share their favorite grounding practices and how to incorporate nature into our day to day lives for maximum spiritual, emotional, and physical benefits! Laura also shares how connecting with nature can help when moving through trauma and grief. Find Laura at her website: https://www.wholelifeelevation.com/ and on Instagram @wholelifeelevation

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SPEAKER_01 0:58

Welcome to the Shifting with Marley podcast. I'm Marley. Thank you for joining me wherever you are. All that I ask of you, the listener, is to have an open mind and an open heart. And in return, I offer you myself. Today we are going to dive into something I've wanted to talk about on the podcast for a long time. Reconnecting with nature and the healing available to us from the earth. We are in a time of remembering, remembering our connection to the earth, remembering our connection to each other, getting back to our roots, and finding again the respect and reverence for the earth that we've forgotten. There is so much untapped power and healing and support available to us from Mother Earth. And what if access to the earth's gifts was as simple as getting outside, opening up our senses, being present, and allowing ourselves to receive. I'm so excited to welcome to this conversation today Laura Adrian. She is all about creating conscious connection to nature. She is a wilderness guide and a yoga teacher, as well as a meditation instructor, community herbalist, and a writer. And her mission is cultivating resilience, joy, and belonging through wilderness. Welcome, Laura.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Hi, glad to be here.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Thank you so much for being here, Laura, today. Can you let people know where they can find you and connect with you?

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Yes. You can find me on Instagram at Whole Life Elevation or my website, whole lifeelevation.com.

SPEAKER_01 2:49

Great. And you also have a book coming out soon, right? Which is my understanding, it will be a guide to mindfully connecting to nature.

SPEAKER_00 2:57

Yes. It will hopefully come out spring 2022.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Awesome. I look forward to reading your book when it comes out.

SPEAKER_00 3:07

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

So to start today, Laura, can you please share with us a little bit of your story and how you found your connection to nature and how that has changed your life?

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Yes, absolutely. I think my nature journey began as a kid. I grew up on 15 acres just outside of St. Paul. And I, like many kids, really enjoyed nature being outside. I made mud pies, playing in the mud. I loved climbing trees. I would, you know, make up these worlds out in the woods, all kinds of things. And I think that's really where my journey began. I in high school, I went to the School of Environmental Studies, which was a an alternative high school public. And it was it had a nature focus and it was hands-on and very interactive. We went on wilderness trips, we learned about biology, we studied water quality, all kinds of things. And it led me to go to college to major in chemistry and environmental science. And I was planning on becoming a research environmental chemist and look at how pollutants move through the environment and hopefully lead to wiser policies around the environment and wiser actions. And I was also diving into yoga and healing arts and emotions, energy, healing. And I began to think, I feel like this is if I want people to make wise decisions about the environment, I think this inner work is really important. And I studied mindfulness and got I'm in the process of getting certified in teaching mindfulness. And I basically um now have brought everything together. And now I teach, now I basically bring people out in nature to connect to it in a mindful way through wilderness experiences, through you know, nature in the city. And for me, this journey, it's hard to even boil down how it's benefited me. There are several pieces, but one of them is I see it as really helped me to accept myself. And it sounds like an ordinary thing, but really to accept all of myself, all of you know, my shortcomings and mistakes, and also all of my gifts and what I can really offer. Yeah, I think this nature work that, you know, this path that I've been on for years has also helped create a supportive space for me to navigate emotions and develop emotional intelligence. Nature has been a place where, you know, I feel like I can cry or be joyful, and nature doesn't judge. That's one of the beautiful things about nature. It doesn't tell you how to be. And I think another way nature has really impacted my life is it's shifted my perspective. Many of us, you know, through cultural conditionings and a lot of factors, have grown up basically with this, it runs deep, but basically, like I'm more powerful than nature, or some some kind of narrative like that. And being in nature, opening my heart, being curious in nature has helped me remember something that feels so true and so deep. And that's that I'm a part of this interconnected web and with the earth, with the trees, with all of life. And even though it can appear that, oh, we're separate, it really has kind of blurred the lines. It really has helped me to feel a lot more connected and alive and and also just care more about nature and see it with more respect and kindness.

SPEAKER_01 8:46

Wow, a fellow environmental scientist who has found their spiritual calling. I love it. That makes me so happy, Laura. It really sounds like finding your connection to nature helped you find your purpose in this life.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Yeah, actually, yeah. And like many people, I I like to teach what I learn. And so it's what I like to teach too, and bring into my classes and retreats.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Laura. And what are some of the health benefits of being in nature? Because there's so many benefits.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

Yes, there is um a growing wealth of research on this. Dr. Kingley, he is a person who does a lot of research in forest medicine and forest bathing. Um, some of what he's found through his studies and with his team is that being out in nature, especially multiple days, can help improve sleep and helps people sleep longer and deeper. It can increase energy and vitality, lower blood pressure, and also increase immune strength and activity. There are a lot more benefits, but just a sample of some of what the the current research is saying.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

And there's also a lot of benefits to help us with stress and anxiety, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Yes, definitely. Yeah, being out in nature, even for a 15-minute walk, can help reduce stress, anxiety.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

There are so many benefits, and it's really in our best interest to prioritize getting outside. It's really the ultimate self-care.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

It is, and it's so simple and it's it's right there.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

Yeah, and similarly, Laura, you know, we tend to rely on conventional Western medicine in today's society, but I know that you've had your own experience with alternatives, and there is so much power and healing available through herbs and plants, right? Nature's medicine. Can you share with us a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Yeah, I can. Yeah, I've been studying herbalism and natural medicine for years now, and it really amazes me the power of um herbal medicine. Years ago, I had I was diagnosed with Lyme disease, and I first tried conventional medicine. And when the symptoms still prevailed, I did everything I could in the alternative medicine and herbal medicine world, taking different herbs, working with acupuncture, laying on the earth. And I ended up healing myself after several months and basically had, you know, was symptom-free. And it was really encouraging. I think herbal medicine is great for preventing illness. And also another thing about herbal medicine is that you get the whole herb. And a lot of times what herbalists say, well, in Western medicine, a lot of times what we're doing is we're saying we're separating um out what we think is the uh like the active constituents, and you know, that's going into a pill, and then we're only taking that. But with herbal medicine, you get like this whole team of nutrients and you know, the whole plant or part of the plant. And it I've really found it um a powerful way to stay healthy.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Yeah, there is so much healing available through the herbs and plants, through herbalism. And I think we're starting to realize the power in plants and starting to seek out these alternatives more and more. And really, if you think about it, it's another way to connect with nature through what we're putting in our bodies.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Absolutely. And one of the things I did this summer, um, I did a foraging apprenticeship, and it was shocking to me how many plants are edible. I live in an urban area and just like a quick walk around my neighborhood and seeing so many things that are edible or medicinal. And these are plants that are often thought of as weeds. Um, people are picking them and throwing them away. And so it really shifted how I just simply take a walk in my neighborhood.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Wow, I love that, Laura. So, Laura, let's talk about some practices and techniques for connecting with nature. What are your favorite practices?

SPEAKER_00 14:35

My go-to practice is laying on the earth. And what I do in my backyard or in a park that's just a five-minute walk away, I lay a blanket down on the earth, and I either lay on my belly or lay on my back. And I basically let myself be held by the earth, and it is very restorative, very rejuvenating, and I think it works on a lot of levels. I feel like the many, many of us don't just lay down and relax for no reason. It can be thought of as like lazy or unproductive. So I think there's a power to that. And I think this this direct connection with the earth and letting yourself be held is is powerful and it seems very intuitive. I teach this at least once a week to people, and most of the time when I'm explaining it, people are kind of like skeptical, but after they've tried it, they get it. And it's kind of shocking to them how powerful it is because it's just laying down, but it seems like there's something really there, like a connection that is being remembered. So that is my favorite, my favorite earth practice. Do you have some others that you like as well? Yes, I do. I love I love going for walks, and I I either don't bring my cell phone or I turn it off. And I go barefoot if I can. And I find that the uh going barefoot really helps to bring me into the moment. It's helping me pay attention to how I'm walking, how I'm stepping. And oftentimes I feel very connected to nature when I'm going barefoot. The other one I really like as of late is just sitting in nature. And I will admit I have some resistance at first. The part of me that's like, oh, I want to, you know, be productive and you know, do something. But especially if I'm backpacking or um by a lake, I love just sitting down and not having an agenda, really, just not even bringing like a journal to write. And you know, oftentimes I'm listening to the sounds of nature or I'm watching a river flow, and it feels very nourishing in a deep way.

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Thank you for sharing, Laura. Those are really powerful practices. I'm gonna start hiking barefoot myself before winter sets in here. I find that that feels like it could be very, very restorative and grounding. And all of those practices that you shared are very grounding. And I think a lot of people are seeking grounding without even realizing it. Can you share with us some of the spiritual and emotional benefits of grounding?

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Yeah, so one of the I think real fruits of grounding is it gets us out of our head and into our body in the here and now. And many of us through conditioning, upbringing, and just evolution, we are uh wanting to think our way through life. And you know, I'm not saying thinking is bad and thinking, it's not like thinking doesn't have a place, but a lot of times what I found is that the healing we need and the answers we seek are in a much more grounded place in our bodies on the earth. And so this can be a very beneficial practice for pretty much anyone, I would say. And I also find it it's a spiritual practice for me, it's a way to orient myself. And I oftentimes what I notice, not in every spiritual community, but in many that I've been a part of, there can be um like this pattern that the the goal of life is to like transcend earth or to like escape earth. And the grounding really brings spirituality to earth, which is where things are happening, and really can bring our ideals to earth and how we live in a day-to-day, in a day-to-day way. You know, many spiritual people, myself included, want to create a better world or have, you know, I consider myself an idealist, and you know, I'd love to live on a more peaceful planet, a more harmonious planet. And I think a lot of us, what we need to do is bring that energy to the earth, bring that into our daily lives, bring that into how we relate to ourselves, how we relate to the earth, how we relate to each other. And grounding can be a really supportive practice for that.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

And I'll also add to getting out in nature, grounding all of these practices we've been talking about. It also helps us connect with our joyful side, our playful side, our fun side, which helps us connect with our inner child, which is so needed.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

Yes, that is a really good point. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

Yeah, right. And I'll share my own experience, Laura, and my favorite practices that I've welcomed into my life. I hug a tree at least twice a day, every day. I'm coming out on this podcast right now as a proud tree hugger. Um, and for me, it helps me cum my thoughts and pull away from my ego mind and helps me come back to being present. And it helps me feel supported and grounded and held. And it helps me tap into gratitude, which then raises my vibration and helps me release the day-to-day drama I might be experiencing. I really can't recommend it enough.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

That makes me so happy that you've said that. Yeah, I love hugging trees too.

SPEAKER_01 21:59

Yeah. And I also find when I'm hiking, touching the trees as I walk by them, feeling the bark, noticing the differences in the tree bark, how it feels on my skin, just simply running my fingertips along the tree bark as I'm walking by has a really similar effect for me. And I also recommend that. Yeah, that's awesome. So, Laura, shifting gears a little bit, I've spoken a lot about trauma and grief on this podcast. How can connecting more with nature help with healing trauma and grief?

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Yeah, I love that you're asking this question because I haven't really talked about it much in my own work, but I I do believe working with my own trauma, that nature has been a really beneficial resource for lack of a better word. And I think it One of the things for me is that it comes back to nature is non-judgmental and it lets me be me and all of me, and I think that's deeply healing. There's growing research on PTSD in nature and how it can be um relieve symptoms, and it's really surprising. There was a research study done by UC Berkeley and folks with PTSD, war veterans, and went on a two-day rafting trip, and they had like a big reduction in symptoms, and that was only two days. And so imagine like what a week could do, or a month, or for the uh grief piece, this is this is a really interesting thing, and I do think nature is one of the best places to go to process grief. Like I said before, nature doesn't judge and it lets it kind of feels like when I go into nature and I'm experiencing a lot of grief, it sometimes just feels like I'm being held by nature. I often hug trees when I'm feeling grief, and that can be supportive. And one of the things, one of the other reasons I think uh nature can be supportive for moving with grief is that nature reflects layers of truth that sometimes we can't see if we're living in an urban area that clearly, and that in nature things die. That's the reality of it. And um, you know, I love looking at fungi and mushrooms because mushrooms are uh, as Paul Stamitz says, they're the interface organism between life and death. And they they're close to death. They're the they're the decomposers of the forest, they they work closely with death, and they're the they're both the beginning and the end. And little things like that in nature can touch our heart in ways that are hard to explain, but basically remind us that yeah, loss, transformation, change are a part of this world. We're we're not really gonna escape that, and it can be um reassuring or you know, helpful on all kinds of levels.

SPEAKER_01 26:01

Yes, there is so much healing and support available through Mother Earth. And the beautiful thing is also, she's always there for us, providing that unconditional support. No matter what, when, or where, we can always connect with Mother Earth. And for me, that's really comforting. So, Laura, what recommendations do you have for those leading busy lives who might find it challenging, you know, who wanna who want to experience everything we've been talking about, who feel you know they need the healing of nature, they want to reconnect, but they might find it challenging to find the time and consistency to get outside. What recommendations do you have for those people?

SPEAKER_00 26:44

I would say start small and start with what seems most accessible and easiest. So there's kind of this trendy movement happening, like it's called nature nearby. So wherever you're at, what is the nature that's near you? And you know, that might be your backyard or a city park or your houseplant or whatever. And I would recommend just starting with something really doable that you feel like you could do every day. So that might be like spend five minutes, you know, going for a walk in your neighborhood, noticing the trees or something like that, or hugging a tree for a few minutes, really, really making it easy for yourself because that's um because then you'll most likely be able to do it. And also, I'm a big believer in following your joy and curiosity. So do what feels most interesting to you, let that be your doorway in, and then um, you know, let it grow.

SPEAKER_01 28:11

So it doesn't necessarily have to take a lot of time, but finding something that you can incorporate into your life with consistency, and you can reap the benefits and the gifts from Mother Earth, even with five minutes. One practice I've started to do, which helps me connect with the earth without even going outside, and it's quick and it's easy, is before I eat, I'll thank the earth for providing the food. And that simple act of gratitude and connecting with the earth through food is really potent. I can tell you from my own experience.

SPEAKER_00 28:48

That is a really good one. I love that.

SPEAKER_01 28:51

So, Laura, thank you for being here today and sharing your wisdom with us. Are there any final tips or tools you'd like to share today for those ready to reconnect with nature and heal?

SPEAKER_00 29:04

I would I would say play, be curious and and let it be an experiment. Just see what happens. Be like, oh, you know, what is it like if I hug a tree? What is it like if I, you know, really express gratitude for the food I'm eating or spend some time laying on the earth? Yeah, just be curious and and see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 29:32

As Robin Wallkimmer says, even a wounded world is feeding us, even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair, not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily, and I must return the gift. It's time to remember. Remember, remember, remember. The earth is there, waiting for us to remember, ready to hold us and connect with us and support us and give each of us the unconditional love we are seeking. The earth is our home and our original mother. We are all children of the earth.