Bushcraft and its Therapeutic Benefits

How much attention do you pay to your body when you’re undertaking a task? Do you notice if you’re moving efficiently and in balance, whether you’re causing pain or tension anywhere, or how your posture and movements are impacting on your emotions?

Our bodies are constantly giving us information, but we live in a highly verbal world that relies heavily on words to communicate. We forget to listen to our own bodies, and are running the risk of causing poor physical or mental health.

Our posture and movements impact our mental health and emotions. It’s all too easy to sit slumped over or slouched when spending a long time at a computer desk, but a hunched posture is a defensive one. Our brains may then be needlessly looking for a reason to be antagonistic as we fight off the threat that has been implied through our defensive posture.

When working on a more physical task, are you using your body evenly or is one side more dominant? If one part of your body is much weaker or tired than another, this can be perceived by your brain as a vulnerability. If your brain is detecting a physical vulnerability then this could lead to a heightened state of alertness followed by anxiety as your brain attempts to keep you safe by making sure you’re primed for a fight or flight response. Stronger, balanced bodies are ready to adjust to a threatening environment without needing to stay on high alert.

Bushcraft and Bodily Awareness

At Liberty Farm, our unique bushcraft programme has been developed to guide you to pay more attention to your body. One of our areas of focus can be how you are using your body when undertaking tasks.

Some of the activities included in the bushcraft programme can be completed through brute strength, but it makes more sense to pay attention to moving in an efficient, balanced manner, and save your energy for something else. Other tasks can only be successfully done by paying attention to moving correctly and effectively.

Find Out More

Want to find out if you’re wasting energy and negative emotions using your body poorly? Contact us to join in on one of our bushcraft sessions.