Resilience training in the forest and while hiking: Why learning while moving is more sustainable
(Image source: Pexels, Pixabay)
Hand on heart: How many hours do you sit at work every day? Probably eight, if not more, right?
Unfortunately, this is the case for most people, which is why the saying “sitting is the new smoking” has now become established.
That’s why it’s no wonder that only a few people are interested in further training in which they spend eight hours in a seminar room and on a chair – just like at work.
But that need not be! The concept is to hold seminars outside in the open air and use nature as a backdrop for learning.
We, the Bergstrasse Institute for Holistic Relaxation and Communication (BIEK), therefore offer, for example, the seminar “Resilience training during mindful hiking”, which is very popular with participants.
On the one hand, because of the thematic importance: Resilience, i.e. the ability to adapt to changes and remain healthy and successful despite adverse circumstances, is becoming increasingly important on both a personal and social level. In addition, with a good dose of resilience, the daily stress can be overcome better and more skillfully and you can react more calmly to everyday challenging situations.
Furthermore, the natural environment of the forest has a calming effect on the mind: the sound of birds, the rustling of leaves and the gentle babbling of a stream have a stress-reducing effect and enable participants to enter a relaxed state that is conducive to… Learning is.
In addition, the forest as a training space promotes mindfulness in us, i.e. the ability to be present in the moment. Simply by experiencing different sensory impressions in the forest and in nature, such as watching birds, listening to their songs or feeling the forest floor under your feet.
The physical activity involved in resilience training in the forest should not be underestimated. Not only are the exercises on the seven pillars of resilience carried out in nature, lectures, exchanges and discussions are also carried out in motion. As a result, brain activity is increased and the learning content is absorbed and processed with all senses, which results in better memory of the respective topics. The combination of movement and learning also creates new neural connections in the brain, which further promotes the understanding and storage of information.
In addition, through physical activity, participants put the brain in a state that is conducive to creative thinking and innovative problem solving. And several of the great poets and thinkers have already experienced this, which is perfectly expressed in the quote by Søren Kierkegaard: “I have thought about my best thoughts and know no sorrow that cannot be walked away.”
Many of our participants confirmed this to us after the seminar by telling us how effective the training was and what they had already been able to implement in their everyday lives. That’s why we can say with a clear conscience that active participation in exercises and activities in the forest creates immediate experiences that are better remembered.
In a time like today, when mental health and resilience are becoming increasingly important, resilience training in the forest offers an effective way to develop these skills. The combination of nature, movement and active participation creates a learning environment that is not only more sustainable, but also enables profound personal development.
Not to mention that it’s so much fun to learn in nature – and of course to teach too.
Try it out too:
Image source: Pexels, Pixabay
The Bergstrasse Institute for Holistic Relaxation and Communication (BIEK) is a certified training institute in the area of relaxation techniques, stress prevention and corporate health care. The manager is Silvia Duske (dipl. soz.Arb., management coach and alternative practitioner for psychotherapy). The institute has become known for its very practical training courses for relaxation therapists. It offers an extensive program of training for the self-employed in the area of prevention as well as for employees of companies, public institutions and administrations in the area of stress prevention. The company was ISO 9001 and AZAV certified in July 2015.
Contact
B.I.E.K.
Martin Duske
Promenadenstrasse 10-12
64625 Bensheim
06251780686