In our digitally connected world, where 9 in 10 Americans go online daily and 41% use the internet almost constantly, we are spending less time outdoors than ever. Yet mounting scientific evidence reveals remarkable benefits when we connect with nature. 

Nature boosts cognitive function and mental well-being. Green spaces promote mental development in children and better attention in adults. Australian researchers discovered that students who gazed at a flowering rooftop for just 40 seconds made fewer mistakes on intellectual tasks. A Danish study of over 900,000 residents found children with greater green space exposure had 55% lower risk of psychiatric disorders later in life. 

Feeling connected to nature benefits well-being regardless of time spent outdoors. While devoting at least two hours weekly in nature provides optimal benefits according to UK research, the key factor may be in the connection itself. This nature relatedness, the sense that one’s identity is intertwined with the natural world, consistently predicts happiness and can even buffer effects of social isolation. People who feel connected to nature report greater well-being even when they can’t physically spend extensive time outdoors. 

All natural spaces provide benefits, from remote wilderness to urban parks. Research reveals that both forests and aquatic environments offer psychological restoration, with biodiverse, remote locations potentially providing the strongest benefits. However, urban parks and street trees also produce meaningful positive outcomes, making nature’s healing power accessible even in city settings.

Originally published by Pazanga Health Communications, October 7, 2025

Have you ever noticed how quickly people can tend to glance at things—art, nature, even the people around us—and move on? What if folks paused for a minute or even longer? Referred to as ‘slow looking’ for centuries, Harvard researcher Shari Tishman helped define slow looking as the practice of taking the time to really see—whether it’s a painting, a tree, or that morning cup of tea.

Instead of rushing past something with a quick look, slow looking means you stop, stay with it, and let yourself really explore what’s in front of you. This kind of focused observation often leads to details you’d completely miss otherwise—like the way light falls on a leaf, or how a brushstroke in a painting seemingly moves.

What’s great is that looking slowly isn’t just for art lovers or museum-goers. You can do it anywhere, anytime. During a walk, maybe pick a “looking” theme such as studying the bark texture of trees. Sit with a photograph and notice the emotions it stirs. You don’t need any special training—just curiosity and some patience.

There are actually two ways to engage in slow looking. One is introspective—asking how what you’re looking at makes you feel, or what memories it brings up. The other is externally—thinking about the context such as who made it or contemplating the backstory. Both approaches deepen your connection to what you see.

Making a habit of being a slow looker comes with some surprising perks. It sharpens your observation skills, boosts your focus and even helps with learning. In schools, it’s being used to teach students how to notice, interpret, and discuss things from different perspectives—great skills for generally any subject. Most of all, slow looking helps us build a personal connection with the world around us. Instead of relying on someone else’s interpretation, we begin to trust our own eyes and thoughts. 

As Vincent van Gogh once wrote to his brother, “Painters understand nature and love it, and teach us to see.” Slow looking gives all of us that chance—not just to see, but to really see. It invites us to pause, to notice the overlooked, to find beauty in the details and meaning in the mundane. In a world driven by speed, the ability to slow down and truly observe is not just a luxury – it becomes a quiet powerful practice. It reconnects us to ourselves, to each other, and to the richness of the world around us. And that, perhaps, is the most valuable vision of all.

Originally published by Orange County Register, May 8, 2025

Shhh! Can you hear the sounds of silence? Unless you’re wearing noise-cancelling headphones or canoeing on Ecuador’s Zabalo River where silence is protected, chances are you are living in noise pollution.

When the city-life sounds such as traffic, construction and planes surpass ambient noise levels, it has a harmful impact on humans and animals. Considered to be a form of human-generated environmental degradation, the World Health Organization has classified noise pollution as the second largest environmental cause of health problems (air pollution is the first), which include cognitive impairment in both adults and children, sleep disorders, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and premature death. National Geographic reports that noise pollution threatens the survival of over 100 animal species living on land and in water.

Doctors and researchers alike are not turning a deaf ear to this ever-growing problem. Policymakers are using urban-area interactive sound maps to make noise-related decisions and states are initiating sound control regulations. Unlike toxic pollution that can take years to clear, noise pollution can be reduced if people and machines just quiet down. Ecuador took the task to heart and became the world’s first to build a “quiet park,” a lush million acres that straddle the Zabalo River where silence is golden and revered like a natural resource. Sounds heavenly, doesn’t it?

For more info:

ARTICLE: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TALKS NOISE POLLUTION

Originally published by Pazanga Healthcare Communications

Yoga instructors are teaching it. Healthcare practitioners are encouraging it and Mayo Clinic even touts its benefits. What’s the buzz all about? Humming bee breathing.

Breath is essential for our physical, emotional, and mental health. What makes bee breathing different from other types of breath practices is that it uses a buzzing sound on the exhalation. Named after the Indian bee, Bhramari, bee breathing increases nitric oxide production 15 times that of what the body normally produces. In turn, the nitric oxide dilates the blood vessels which substantially increases the flow of oxygen.

It’s the sound and vibration of bee breathing that soothes the stressed-out mind, releases tension, and relaxes the central nervous system. The increased oxygen reduces inflammation and blood pressure, regulates metabolism and boosts immunity. And you don’t have to be able to sing or carry a tune to reap the benefits.

Bee breathing is done seated with eyes closed. The palms of your hands are placed over your ears and your fingers point upwards on the sides of your head. Both the inhalation and exhalation are done through the nose. On your exhale, make a humming sound, similar to a bee in tone and repeat breathing cycle 6-10 times. You should notice a soothing, gentle vibration in your face and jaw. Ahh….

For more info:

VIDEO: LEARN HOW TO BEE BREATHE

Published by Pazanga Healthcare Communications