October... an invitation to reconnect with nature!
Thanksgiving: an invitation
Although I've never really celebrated Thanksgiving in my family, the day remains for me a beautiful invitation to recognize our close relationship with nature and to reconnect with it.
Its origins in Quebec
In Quebec, the origins of this celebration go back to the harvest ceremonies of the First Nations, who celebrated good harvests and the bounty of the earth.
A time of gathering that endures
Over the years, and with the influences of other cultures, other traditions have been woven into the fabric, but this festival is generally a day for families to gather around a sumptuous meal featuring seasonal vegetables.
The festival of colors
It's also a great opportunity to take advantage of the long weekend for outdoor activities. After all, Thanksgiving usually falls during Quebec's Festival of Colors, when the trees put on their beautiful coats of leaves, each more colorful than the last, and the paths are carpeted with fallen leaves that rustle under our footsteps and give off their autumnal aromas.
The end of the harvest
It's also time for the last harvests (apple and pumpkin picking), and final preparations before the first frosts.
What about you?
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? What does this holiday mean to you?
Our intimate relationship with nature
Thanksgiving also happens to be the time of year when we feel more and more the diminishing hours of sunshine and the drop in temperature... which often makes us want to take greater refuge in our heated and insulated homes.
Mother Earth
This disconnects us even more from nature, when it's the hand that feeds us! Not only does our food come from the land around us, but nature also provides us with many other important benefits!
Other benefits
Our exposure to the sun stimulates our production of vitamin D, a micronutrient essential to our health, and helps regulate our immune system and reduce inflammation, among other things.
Simply being in contact with nature has restorative and soothing effects on our health, including stress levels, blood pressure, fatigue and recovery.
By combining physical activity and nature, we get two for one: we expose ourselves to the sun and nature, and we work on our balance and agility by strengthening our motor skills and proprioception on uneven or unequal terrain or in the face of a wind factor that can be more or less important, depending on the location and the day!
Celebrating nature!
Let's take Thanksgiving as a reminder to take the time to get outside, enjoy the beautiful fall colors, take deep breaths of fresh air and let the sun's rays warm our faces (and why not our hearts at the same time)!
Nature and our health
Health coaching touches on many facets of our lives, all of which have a direct or indirect influence on our state of health. Connecting with ourselves, with others and with nature is one of the many factors that can influence our state of health.
When we reconnect with our essence, we rediscover the source of our energy and motivation!
Need a helping hand?
You don't have to go it alone. I can accompany you on your journey, one step at a time!
Don't hesitate to contact me to see how I can help you: the first introductory appointment is free!
Happy celebrations!
