The idea that the natural environment and green surroundings have a beneficial effect on the human biological system is not a new one. Indigenous people have practiced this belief for a millennia. Advanced practitioners of mind/body disciplines have quietly noted the increased awareness and the positive influence on many levels.

Whether you practice Qi-gong, Yoga, martial arts, walking, prayer/meditation or just enjoy being outdoors, the therapeutic effect on the mind and body can help enhance your practice in unique ways. In the traditional practice of therapeutic Qi-gong the best time to absorb the Universal Life Force or Qi from trees, plants and flowers are the hours of 5-7am and 11-1pm. Although there are many techniques of absorption used in the practice of qi-gong, to start it is enough to be in close proximity to a healthy environment to enjoy the benefits.

Trees, plants and flowers absorb air, light, energy, water and minerals. Practicing your art around trees helps detoxify the body’s cells and helps to oxygenate the organ systems. Since trees radiate Universal life-force they are transformers of negative (sick) energy into clean, healthy, life-giving, abundant energy. All trees serve this purpose but pine, cypress and white aspen are considered the most powerful. For best results find a quiet, safe, pesticide- and parasite-free environment to practice. Sick, dying, or colorless trees or plants can be unpleasant and unhealthy. In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) it is believed that sick trees can pass on their suffering into the inexperienced individual’s body and build up an impure energetic resonance.

Flowers are known to have an effect on the human nervous systems. They have a long history of soothing emotional pain and bringing relief through their colors, shapes and sizes. By practicing your particular discipline or art around these universal symbols of love, beauty and compassion you will enjoy their fragrance as they affect the emotions and nourish the spirit. There is an entire science and many treatment modalities based on colors and how they affect the mind, body, and spirit. Hospitals, schools, prisons, submarines, battleships even multi-national corporations are among many entities who have found the use of this science beneficial.

John M. Walcott is a member of the Board of directors of the National Qi-gong association www.nqa.org . He is the founder of the Vero Beach Qi-gong Society and the compiler of the Cloudwalker mind body healing system©. For more information call 772-569-4090 or visit www.thecloudwalker.com.