Wellbeing: Lift your spirits naturally with ice baths, barefoot walking and more
If you’re suffering with New Year overwhelm, we’ve found five wonderful ways to bring you back down to earth, from forest bathing to wild swimming
WILD SWIMMING
Where: Waresley Park Estate
What is entails: Nestled within 120 acres of stunning parkland, Waresley Park Estate’s lake has become a thriving hub for wild swimming enthusiasts and is testament to the power of community. What began in November 2022 as a single weekly session has grown into multiple lifeguard-supervised swims running most days, all year round. “We’re incredibly proud of the community we’ve helped create, where the swims are just as much about the connections made around the fire afterwards as they are about the time spent in the water,” says Waresley Park MD Ben Griggs.
The health benefits: “People join our wild swimming sessions for a wide variety of reasons. Some come to float peacefully and escape the noise of the world, others to practice cold water breath work, and some to train for their next triathlon,” explains Ben. Wild swimming offers physical and mental health benefits, from improved circulation and a stronger immune system to reduced stress and enhanced mindfulness. Many swimmers find the experience deeply grounding; a way to reconnect with both nature and themselves.
Try it: Visit waresleyparkestate.co.uk
FOREST BATHING AND SOUND BATHS
Where: Thetford Forest, Cambridge, Bury St Edmunds and beyond
What it entails: Sound and Ground, run by experienced practitioner Nicky, creates nurturing, supportive practices for deep rest and reflection through Forest Bathing and Sound Baths. Forest Bathing is a gently guided, immersive mindfulness in nature practice, with two to three hours in the forest to gently move, be still, observe, reflect, rest and connect with your surroundings with all senses.
Sound Baths are an accessible meditative practice for deep listening and deep rest through a live instrumental soundscape. In the winter they are indoors in a cosy lodge, in summer months offered outdoors in the forest.
The health benefits: Forest bathing connects us to something bigger than ourselves which gives us a sense of perspective and a resulting feeling of being grounded, balanced and calm. Grounding can also be linked to a literal connection to the earth – laying on the ground is incredibly soothing; it’s a key ingredient of Forest and Sound Bathing. The benefits of both practices include stress reduction, which helps boost immunity, regulate the nervous system and improve sleep and mood.
Try it: Visit soundandground.co.uk
ICE BATHS AND BREATHWORK
Where: Branches Park, Newmarket, and other venues
What is entails: Wim Hof Method instructor and Pilates teacher Beth Huckel, otherwise known as The Ice Beth, offers Wim Hof fundamentals workshops. She guides and supports participants through a breathwork session and then an ice bath, teaching the science behind both activities so students get the best physical and mental benefits of both.
The health benefits: Both activities regulate our nervous systems away from hectic, stressful over-stimulated environments into our rest and digest state of the parasympathetic. The oxygen carrying capacity of our blood is boosted and we detoxify into a more alkaline natural state. As we ground into this relaxed form, heart rates slow, breathing deepens and the incredible mental and physical benefits of stimulating the vagus nerve heals, restores and calms. We are designed to live in this grounded, peaceful environment, and the breath and cold remind us how.
Try it: Visit theicebeth.com
MINDFUL DRAWING
Where: Various Cambridgeshire venues
What it entails: Sanna Pearson (aka Sanna Florence) offers a range of creative workshops for businesses and the public, using a fun and engaging activity such as mindful drawing to help improve calm, creativity, connection or concentration. She brings people together in a judgement-free and serene setting to help them rediscover their creative side.
The health benefits: Doing something creative is a fantastic and accessible way to reduce stress and improve our mental wellbeing. It enables us to find a flow state and block out the noise of the world around us, granting us the opportunity to refresh our minds. Doing something creative with others has the added benefit of helping us feel more connected and less lonely in a highly digital world.
Try it: Visit sannaflorence.com
BAREFOOT WALKING
Where: PAUS., Cambridge
What it entails: The Barefoot Sensory Trail, built in 2021, offers a playful yet grounding experience throughout the year. Kick off your shoes and explore 13 acres of rewilded meadows, surrounded by beautiful, unspoiled countryside views that shift with the seasons. Close your eyes and feel your way across dewy grass, letting different textures tickle your toes. The 1km trail provides multiple sensations; soft grass, tingling gravel, squashy sand, warming red cedar sawdust and messy mud (by far the most popular section!).
The health benefits: This playful activity has grown into a well-researched and common practice across Central Europe (the homeland of PAUS. founders, Alexandra and Bart). Barefoot walking offers significant benefits for both body and mind: it strengthens foot muscles, improves blood circulation, enhances balance, and boosts proprioception (body awareness). Engaging with tactile sensations underfoot helps anchor you in the present, allowing your mind to relax amidst the sounds, sights, and scents of nature. This calms the nervous system and can encourage a restful night’s sleep. Finding joy in simplicity is always a good thing—for the body, mind, and spirit.
Try it: Visit paus.life
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Louise Cummings