Oct 25 CBS Sunday Morning Show featured a story on increasing resiliency in the face of mounting stress by finding opportunities to connect with nature, such as walking through a park. Research has shown that human connections to nature improve our overall health and well-being by lowering blood pressure, optimizing heart rate, and enhancing our moods. One particularly intense experience called forest bathing (which is not about stripping down and jumping in the nearest lake) involves spending extended periods of time doing what Deepak Chopra might call “communing with nature,” walking or sitting in stillness and silence while soaking in the views, smells and sounds of the natural environment, usually with an experienced naturalist guide.

I have had the pleasure of forest bathing on many occasions (check me out grinning ear-to-ear while hiking at the Skyterra Wellness Resort, my “happy place” in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains).

At SYMBI, we incorporate this philosophy of connecting humans to nature through biophilic design. Indoor/outdoor living spaces, extensive glazing for outdoors views and natural light, and indoor gardens are just some of the biophilic features of a SYMBI home.

Check out Instagram @symibhomes for more info on SYMBI’s biophilic features.