In my previous article "Regenerative Change through Embodiment" I argued that the global crises of our times undermines economic growth. I proposed that the response should be grassroots projects that ignite creativity, skill and promote the Jersey person, create self-sufficiency, and build resilience as we progress through our commitment to responding to our overarching, problem of climate and biodiversity collapse.
In July 2023 I started such a grass roots project. A year sponsored by the Government of Jersey to support individuals responses to and progression through change whilst addressing climate and biodiversity collapse. This article summarises how my small project had a big impact. It created positive change by improving the physical, mental and emotional health of participants by reconnecting them to nature. A regenerative project that created change at the inner individual level AND outer change at community level, in one short year.
Research indicates that we lack the inner capacity to deal with our increasingly complex environmental challenges. The project addressed this by developing an inner programme. Human beings have forgotten that we are an integral part of nature. We prioritise and train our minds, overlooking the intelligence in our bodies, through our sensory perception.
Our senses connect us with nature and the planet. Until we reconnect with our own body, we will not ignite the driver for behavioural change, reconnecting us to the environment around us, motivating outer grass roots change, and finding creative solutions to the problems of our times. Bessel van der Kolk, PhD, is a clinical psychiatrist and author of “The Body Keeps the Score” whose work attempts to integrate mind, brain, body, and social connections to understand and treat trauma through a variety of treatments, including yoga . Unprocessed trauma settles into the body and blocks physical sensation. Somatic yoga actively supports feeling body sensations, and is a gentle, safe way for people to befriend their bodies. Somatic yoga is a successful therapy to start to regulate the nervous system and navigate the important work of Stephen Porges, PhD, Polyvgal Theory . The theory describes the physiological/psychological states which underlie our daily behaviour as well as challenges related to our wellness and mental health.
These theories and more held the framework for attendees to experience a somatic body:mind reconnection through yoga which had instant success in improving participants wellbeing. Participants then progressed to learning tools to apply their improved wellbeing to their everyday lives. The tools were embedded creating behavioural change through psychosynthesis group coaching.
Running alongside the inner work participants were encouraged to reconnect to nature at an outer level with a variety of workshops and outdoor experiences through collaborations with Grouville Community and The Birdsong Garden. Community Grows is an integral part of the Grouville Grows project within Grouville Community where permaculture design values of people care, earth care & fair share are brought to life experientally through collaborative community events. They reconnect us to our environment and support change from the inside out. Over the past 12 months Grouville Community has created a set of FREE events where members are invited to learn through a combination of training, facilitation, observing nature, experiencing and collaboration.
We grew native pollinators, salad and herbs for participants gardens with a large excess of plants given away to the general public at the Grouville Repair Café in June, expanding the reach of the project significantly. A solid foundation for increasing the biodiversity in a system striving for a just transition to net zero and reducing stress in the transition. We also encouraged participants to reconnect to nature and wildlife in the second half of the project through community pondwatch, butterfly transect walks and reptile mat observations, connecting this programme with important data collection work being done by the Jersey Biodiversity Centre. This holistic inner and outer approach achieved significant results.
The programme has been hugely successful. It has run 76 sessions attracting 470 attendees, improved physical, mental and emotional wellbeing and created behavioural change for those that engaged in both the inner and outer programmes.
Places on the project were prioritised to those most in need and those with potential to catalyse change.
Using the 2023 Jersey Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (JOLS) wellbeing questions, over 90% of attendees self-assessed anxiety levels as high at the start. By the end nobody self-assessed high. As the gardening programme progressed, average levels continued falling.
This programme provided an outlet for creative expression and problem solving. "Last week I returned from our class to correspondence that was upsetting. I noticed that I was able to register emotions I felt and how they were being expressed within my body but to then purposefully release those feeling far quicker than I would normally. To think and act more clearly rather than freezing.”
One participant is returning to her work with textiles. She is now planning to grow her own plant dyes and recommence her passion in a new way. The programme has encouraged innovative design which will contribute to the whole Island economy transition.
Unlocking creativity builds satisfaction, worth and happiness reflected in average scores below. “Sarah weaves in visualisation techniques which have improved my mental health immensely just in the last 4 weeks and the social aspect of opening up to others and the connecting with nature while we chat and have a cup of tea, makes you feel so connected to other people.”
To feel fully alive, we need to feel our intimate interdependence with the human and more than human world. “I'm more connected to nature than I thought. I think the grounding tools, have given me confidence & I've felt more of a connection to my surroundings, and a feeling of support.” Having started the programme unemployed, this participant ended it gainfully employed in a flexible, creative role providing both mental & economic benefits.
The anxiety scores summary graph below demonstrates the improvement in anxiety of attendees from the beginning of the programme to the end. Through the holistic integration of body and mind, sensory awareness is developed enabling the use of self-regulation tools to respond to big and small every day stressful situations. The inner gardening taken out into the metaphorical everyday gardening experience of life.
The coaching and outer gardening experiences through the programme facilitated the behavioural change in attendees. We must change the way we respond to stress to experience reduced anxiety in our lives. The programme has been hugely successful in improving physical, mental & emotional wellbeing and embedding behavioural change.
Additionally and unexpectedly, the project had further benefits:
It ignited a longer-term project encouraging Islanders to grow garden pollinator corridors through the wildflower giveaway at the Grouville Repair Cafe. Also, a new orchard wilding project was seeded by the Jersey Flower Farm in Sion out of the wild flower plugs. Supporting and building upon our biodiversity is essential in reducing stress as we progress through climate breakdown.
The programme impacted attendees’ adult and minor children through modelling behaviours which become embedded over time, improving educational outcomes together with mental health & wellbeing. “I’d love other people to be able to experience the positivity and wellness I have come to embrace from these classes. I use the tools with my little boy, who is sensitive and suffers with neurodivergence. Wonderful seeing the impact it has on his wellbeing and outlook.”
The collaborative nature of the project assisted The Birdsong Garden to physically reshape its smallholding allowing its “Adopt a Crop” programme to emerge. In the space of a year I have witnessed the smallholding become more vibrant, productive and diverse.
Permaculture provides tools to build a better future. A system for creating sustainable human settlements by integrating design and ecology. Permaculture encourages us to be a conscious part of the solution to problems locally and globally. Participatory communities promote supportive, enabling, empowering relationships which foster caring sharing inclusive communities. Permaculture reconnects us to nature. This programme brought permaculture to life from the inside out.
To live a good healthy life, we need more than communication technology devices. Our very being and sanity depend on frequent contact with nature. Increasing biodiversity and reconnecting to the environment, improve human mental and physical health & wellbeing and provide creative solutions to the economic problems of our times.
Sarah is a Psychosynthesis Executive Leadership Coach with further qualifications in systemic and embodiment disciplines. Her coaching clients are women, located in Jersey, France and London, in senior leadership roles, who are responsible for innovative change. Find out more about Sarah.
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