Connection with the nature

There is new life in the soil for every man. There is healing in the trees for tired minds and for our overburdened spirits, there is strength in the hills, if only we will lift up our eyes. Remember that nature is your great restorer.~ Calvin Coolidge

Many years ago, humans and nature coexisted in a harmony. Humankind's very survival depended on listening to and feeling our connection with nature. We relied on plants for our medicine, used the stars to navigate and tilled the land using animals to plant our crops. In today’s modern, fast pace society, where everyone is running towards career, money and prestige, one forgets to slow down and enjoy the moment. We have pills for our headaches, GPS units to navigate and we get our "crops" from the supermarket. We forgot to live in the harmony with nature, with our surroundings and people and instead we are searching and accumulating materialistic satisfaction.

Throughout most of history, humans slept on the ground, walked barefoot and were completely in touch with the earth’s healing energies and rhythms. Now, we are so cut up on technology, mobile phone, iPods and laptops that we have forgotten to simply communicate together personally. We surround ourselves with technological instruments that offer convenience and a new type of sterile connection but we are losing the real connection with each other and with the Mother Earth. We need to reorient ourselves back to our roots and reconnect with the natural world.




Why? The answer is simple. We are part of the Earth – the living organism and losing the connection with it, it’s like losing ourselves. It’s proven that getting outdoors and closer to nature has all kinds of benefits. Connection to nature decreases stress levels and stimulates healing as the ground provides subtle electrical signals that maintain good health. Connecting with nature not only brings physical benefits, but can greatly improve our emotional, mental and spiritual health. Nature connects us to something bigger, offering a spiritual experience of belonging to a wider community. Meditating in a lovely garden, in a field or by a stream is bringing us inner peace and harmony. The biggest gift of nature is that it teaches us to be more heart-centered and also instills a desire to lead a healthy lifestyle.




We also need to teach the children to go out, have fun and enjoy the natural environment, if we do it soon enough, they can create a lifelong passion for natural world. It’s enriching the imagination of the children. In Toucheng Leisure Farm they can learn about the world around them, keep fit and most of all have fun doing it! Another benefit of connecting with nature is that it increases environmental awareness of the children. How can we expect the children to face the challenges posed by global climate change if they feel no real link with their own natural heritage? In Toucheng Leisure farm we can teach them about different flowers, animals, vegetables. We can teach them about different use of alternative energy, recycling, planting rice or kilning. They can take up gardening, go for long forest walks or go kayaking. We have our own “DIY” - do it yourself centers where they can learn to batik their own bags, t-shirts with natural leaves, make their own vinegar or simply spend time together in beautiful natural environment. They can observe and interact with animals, play outside and also learn about the trees and plants surrounding them. Get in closer touch with the serenity of the woods and Earth as natural spaces encourage fantasy and role-play, reasoning and observation.




But unfortunately, current society runs the very real risk of bringing up a generation of children who simply have no understanding or connection with the natural world. That’s why it’s so worrying that so many children today don’t have the opportunity to experience the outdoors and nature. We truly believe that just as children need a good diet, education and healthcare, so they need to connect with the natural world. Parents have the ability to teach their children about the importance of our environment by simply taking them outdoors and exposing them to the overwhelming beauty of our world.




The best way we can make sure our natural habitat is protected is by teaching our visitors and the children about nature and the wilderness. We want them to feel the connection with nature that our ancestors once relied upon. That is the key to ecological conservation and preservation. Toucheng Leisure Farm brings expert skills to the local community in the name of forest preservation and practical ecological initiatives to enhance biological diversity and ecological integrity. We believe that when people learn more about nature, they will be more open to conservation efforts. Although the modern society doesn’t rely on nature like it once did, we still need it to take care of it. We need to connect to nature on a much more personal level because it is integral to our very existence and Toucheng Leisure Farm is taking responsibility to build a greener, more environmentally sustainable future and finding the ways of reconnecting the children and the visitors to the natural world.