Outdoor Health Forum 2025: Nature Connection and Mental Wellbeing
October 18, 2025
Earlier this month I had the privilege of representing www.yatra.org at the Outdoor Health Forum at Lennox heads. Outdoor Health Australia is the peak body for this “emerging sector supporting health, healing, and resilience for Australians during a time of rapid social and environmental change.”
Meeting the diverse and passionate Outdoor Health Australia community, I learned of the depth of this field, with amazing and inspiring speakers. For me some highlights on the program included; stories of working with at-risk indigenous youth on country, rewiring the brain, surfing for cancer recovery, horse-assisted therapy, rights-of-passage. And out-door youth work I was also touched to encounter a strong thread of deep ecology woven through; from facing climate grief in schools with dear friend Eshana Bragg, to seeing with new and ancient eyes
As is often the way, one of the simplest experiences has also stayed with me the most - exploring country-my-teacher through, among other things, a sound mapping exercise - ten minutes spent sitting with pen and paper to sketch the surrounding soundscape; of wind, ocean, birds and human sounds.
This activity reminded me strongly of an experience about fifteen years years ago; tutoring third year ecology students in bird identification in the Wet Tropics World Heritage rainforest in Far North Queensland. A familiar topic for me, and one that can be a simple list-making exercise, but this time I decided to change tack: I asked students to find a sit-spot and just listen for twenty minutes or so… even if they didn’t know the name of what they heard, just to listen.
The wide eyes I saw as students picked their way back through the forest to rejoin the group have stayed with me, as has the feedback; For some it was the first time they had ever sat alone and in silence in the forest. For me it stands as an inflection moment; where I started to see the value and therapeutic power of non-cognitive engagement with nature.
For my own offering, I facilitated a “sacred journey” workshop as a taste of what a yatra or sacred ecology retreat feels like… what can you do in an hour that we usually spend 8 days enjoying? Basically some mindful movement, breath-work and then a nice silent walk on the beach.
My heartfelt thanks to the Yatra community for the opportunity, and OHA Australia for the warm welcome. I look forward to the next forum in Cairns, and perhaps joining with Gaia Forest Sangha as a member of the association?
