We are nature. You are nature. This is something we easily forget in our busy lives in the city. But what happens if we take the time to immerse ourselves in nature and re-connect with the other-than-human world? If we open our senses and hear, see, smell, taste and feel the natural world around us? An immersion like this will widen your world and get you out of your head. You will feel more connected – with nature, with yourself and with others. The Nature Connection Walks will do this for you. Give yourself the gift of real connection and join a Nature Connection Walk.
Nature Connection Walks
A Nature Connection Walk is not about the distance we cover, but about the attention we pay to the world around us and to ourselves. The locations for the Nature Connection Walks are carefully chosen – we will be in quiet places, away from the crowds and the busy city. Group sizes will be small; not more than 10 people on a walk. A Nature Connection Walk will typically last around 2-2.5 hours, but the impact will last a lot longer.
Cards for Life
To facilitate our connection with nature and with ourselves, we will use Cards for Life during the Nature Connection Walk: a set of cards with images and language that helps us to look at the world and ourselves in a different and more integrated way. As a trained Cards for Life practitioner, I will guide you through the exercises. You will be surprised at what this might bring up and the new insights you will take home with you.
Opening up
A Nature Connection Walk is all about opening up. The more intentional time you spend in nature, the more sensitive you will become to what is around you. You will start to see, hear and smell things that you didn’t notice before. During the walk, you will be invited to open up your senses and to look, listen, touch and even taste the more-than-human world in which we live.
Tea ceremony
The Nature Connection Walk will be concluded with a simple tea ceremony. We will have a cup of tea made from natural herbs and plants, if possible collected during the walk. This will help to literally digest our experiences and to transition back into our busy world.
Upcoming Nature Connection Walks
Sunday, April 19 – Bluebells in Ockenburg & Solleveld
The bluebells in Ockenburg are a wonderful attraction every year. They only flower for a few weeks in April and May. It is a magical experience to walk through the forest, the earth covered with the purple and pink flowers. It does attract lots of people, but we will go away from the crowds, to the protected nature reserve of Solleveld, where we will enjoy the quiet only nature can provide.
Meeting time and place: we will meet at 10.30am at the parking lot of Park Ockenburg in The Hague. We will be back there by 1pm. It is possible to stay for lunch at lunchroom De Kas in Ockenburg. The nearest bus stop is ‘Ockenburgh’.
The cost of this walk is €15 (10% off for members). This does not include the €2 entrance fee for Solleveld.
9/10 spots booked
Saturday, May 30 – Hidden treasures of Meijendel
The month of May is a perfect time to visit Meijendel, a nature reserve along the coast of The Hague and Wassenaar. It will be full of birds, of which the Nightingale is the most remarkable. They are difficult to spot, but their beautiful song will be everywhere.
During this walk, we will go to the quieter places in Meijendel, away from the crowds. We will open up our senses and find out what we can see, hear, feel and taste. We will use Cards for Life to reflect on what nature has to tell us about our own lives. The walk will be concluded with a cup of herbal tea, before we go back into the busy city.
Meeting time and place: we will meet at 10.30am at the Dunea Visitor Center (Meijendelseweg 40-42, Wassenaar), right next to restaurant Boerderij Meijendel. There is a parking lot close to the restaurant. If you come by public transport, you can take bus line 43 or 44 to bus stop De Kieviet in Wassenaar. It is a nice 40 min. walk to the visitor center from there. Alternatively, you can rent an OV-bike at Den Haag Centraal and cycle to the visitor center. That will take about 25 min. We will return to the same location around 1pm.
The cost of this walk is €15 (10% off for members)
How it works
After you sign up for a Nature Connection Walk, you will receive a payment link. Once I have received the payment, your booking is confirmed. About a week before the walk, you will receive an email with all the information about the walk.
Cancellations
If you need to cancel your participation in the walk, you may do so up to 5 days before the walk to get a full refund. Cancellations later than that will not be refunded.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Just send an email to martine@rewildyourself.nu.
Rewild Yourself 