The Weekly - June 23, 2020 - 6

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S U M M E R

THE

# W E A R E C O M M U N I T Y

Open Sky
Wilderness
Therapy

The Nature Cure

Wilderness therapy specialists are helping
people manage stress and connect with nature
during this uneasy time. By Amelia Arvesen
MANY OF US HAVE BEEN FORCED

to cancel our big summer plans
until it's safer to travel, but all is
not lost. Even a small trip into the
garden or a local pond can be selfcare and a remedy for restlessness.
As skiers, hikers, cyclists, climbers, campers, and backpackers,
we're familiar with the magical
healing powers of nature. And
many people newly incorporating the outdoors into their daily
routines are rediscovering the joys
of playing in the dirt or taking a

stroll through their neighborhood.
Nature's healing properties are
even more important now during
the ongoing global pandemic and
period of social and political unrest. Open Sky Wilderness Therapy, based in Durango, Colorado, is
using its platform and expertise to
share resources with the general
public about how to experience
nature during COVID-19, how
to take care and manage stress,
and how to connect in the digital
age. Founded in 2006, Open Sky

6 THE WEEKLY / OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020

is experienced in healing through
connection with the natural
world; it helps adolescents, young
adults, and their families deepen
relationships and find strength by
connecting with the trees, the sky,
and the land.
"There is more research and
encouragement coming out about
spending time outside and it being
actually a good setting to be in
during the pandemic," says Emily
Fernandes, Open Sky's co-founder
and executive director. "It could be
as simple as just opening the window and looking outside. Connection with fresh air and the larger
sky-connecting with something
bigger than ourselves-is so powerful." Amid isolation, connection
is what we're all yearning for and
needing right now, Fernandes says.
Fernandes suggests developing
daily rituals like waking up with
the sun or taking a nightly walk,
which have been shown to help
people feel more grounded and
settled. "One of the forced opportunities at this time has been
to require us to slow down and
listen-to ourselves and to each
other," says Fernandes. "When
we listen, that builds empathy.
Building empathy builds connection, and those are the ingredients
we're going to need as a society
to move through and to heal the
pain and the wounds, whether it's
racial injustice or fractures in the
family system."
In a recent blog post on the
website openskywilderness.com,
Open Sky clinical therapist Chris

Blankenship pulled together an
outdoor, indoor, and online guide
to experiencing nature during
the pandemic. Some of the ways
he suggests boosting your health
outside include:
* Walking the dog in your neighborhood or local open trail.
* Riding your bike around the
block.
* Stretching in the backyard.
* Jogging down the street and
back.
* Using binoculars to catch
glimpses of birds.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis gets
it. His latest order to slow the virus' spread is titled Safer at Home
and in the Vast, Great Outdoors.
Even the American Public Health
Association (APHA) is urging
people to step outside. In April,
the organization released a list
of tips for getting the most out of
nature, including going out to your
backyard or taking a virtual tour
of a national park. It also emphasized that moving throughout the
day is an important part of taking
care of yourself, and that could
include a walk, hike, or run in a
neighborhood, park, or trail.
"Our natural spaces are sacred
spaces," says Lisa Carlson,
president of the APHA. "Getting
outside to breathe fresh air, see
the sun rise, feel the breeze-
these can be centering experiences that are vital to our mental
wellness. It's good medicine, and
time with nature doesn't require
a prescription."

CO U R T E SY O P E N S K Y

H E A D L I N E S

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http://www.openskywilderness.com

The Weekly - June 23, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Weekly - June 23, 2020