“I go to nature to be soothed, healed and have my senses put in order.”
-JOHN BURROUGHS
WELLNESS
Throughout history immersive experiences in the natural world are shown to reduce stress, improve overall feelings of well-being and happiness, raise energy levels, and increase our capacity for caring.
Today, a growing body of research supports the idea that time spent in the forests, rivers, and mountains can quiet the mind, and improve your health. Immersive nature experiences are shown to reduce stress, improve overall feelings of well-being and happiness, raise energy levels, and increase our capacity for caring.
“We stood on edge of the river and listened to a poem. I felt so calm and happy.” – 5th Grade Student, Osceola Intermediate School
We believe in the healing power of nature and its ability to restore and replenish the spirit, soul, and mind. The wooded paths, prairie’s rise, and river’s edge at The Acreage offer a special, even sacred place to find a quiet peacefulness to take a break from our tech-driven world. The Acreage strives to provide a space where people can reconnect with nature and discover the healing properties occurring in the natural world around us.
FIELD NOTES
STANDARD EDITION WOMEN
For the members of the Standard Edition Women, a group of Twin Cities healers, time spent in community and nature at The Acreage helped forge the foundational relationships of their organization, while providing them the opportunity to restore their minds, bodies, and spirits.
In 2022, The Acreage collaborated with the Wild Rivers Conservancy and National Park Service to create a special program, Healing on the Water. The Standard Edition Women, came to The Acreage to heal, build community, and experience the therapeutic effects of an immersive day in nature on the river.
Led by a licensed yoga instructor and naturalists from the National Park Service, the group of healers and community leaders met on the banks of the St. Croix River for a kayak lesson, followed by breath work, and yoga before embarking on a five-mile paddle down the wild and scenic river. Stops along the guided route provided opportunity for meditation, reflection, and healing.
“I didn’t realize how much I needed this. To slow down, to take a breath, to let the river take me downstream…”
The Standard Edition Women continues to provide healing services and support to their community, a community often gripped by gun violence and associated trauma. For members of the Standard Edition Women, time at The Acreage was needed to restore and replenish themselves so they can continue to provide the support so greatly needed in their community.
Read more about our work in Wellness in our Field Notes
