Mindfulness & Self-Care In Nature's Health Service at Winkworth Arboretum

National Trust - Winkworth Arboretum

Hascombe Road, GU8 4AD, Godalming, England, United Kingdom

Nigel Grimes

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Nigel has his own well-being consultancy, where he has helped many people with problems such as stress, anxiety, panic attacks, challenges with focusing, sleep disorders and over-busy minds. Since the covid pandemic started, he has also worked with clients suffering the ongoing effects of long covid as well as people wanting to make positive changes in their lives to achieve a healthier lifestyle.Nigel’s parents and wider family have a history of mental health and special needs challenges and therefore he has some insight into how it impacts the individual and the connected loved ones. He has two adopted children who are now adults. They both experienced adverse experiences in their birth family and spent time in the foster care system and there are also some special educational needs and accompanying diagnoses that have and continue to require support.Prior to his wellbeing career, Nigel spent many years working in the corporate world as a marketing specialist but, after a bout of unexpected illness which conventional medicine didn't seem able to cure, he started to explore alternative therapies and found that changing his breathing style made his symptoms disappear. He then embarked on a journey of self-discovery and trained in breathing therapy and mindfulness and started his own consultancy.Nigel recently added forest bathing to his range of services and is a fully qualified practitioner with the Institute of Forest Bathing. Forest Bathing is relatively new to the UK, but is well established in Japan, where it is called shinrin-yoku. It is actually prescribed by the Government as part of the health service there. He is actively exploring how to work in the UK on the Green Social Prescribing initiatives in his local area. Being among the trees can be extremely beneficial to our health, as not only is it an enjoyable experience, but it allows us to inhale the phytoncides (antimicrobial essential oils) released by trees. This has been shown to increase creativity, lower stress hormone production, lower heart rate and blood pressure, improve immune system and speed up recovery from illness. While anyone can benefit from walking in the woods, Forest Bathing offers a safe bridge between ourselves and nature, allowing participants to use all their senses to explore the world of nature.Nigel works with both children and adults and finds that anyone can learn new, healthy breathing and mindfulness habits. He has worked with a variety of clients and is passionate about helping all of them achieve new levels of wellbeing, whether from learning to breathe properly, becoming more mindful, or having a connecting with nature experience.