Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Now, however, getting up close and personal for some serious tree hugging is emerging as the latest nature-based therapy to help the overworked and overworked. find much needed inner peace.
Next month, around 30 tree huggers will gather at Dams to Darnley Country Park on Glasgow’s south side for what is being billed as the city’s first ever tree hugging tournament.
Inspired by the world tree hugging championships held in Finland each year and a recent tournament in the Scottish Highlands, the event in Glasgow will see adults and children take part in three rounds of competitive tree hugging.
Intended to highlight the benefits nature can offer to health and well-being, the tournament will feature a round of wild ‘speed hugs’ as participants race against the clock to hug as many trees as possible.
They then move on to a ‘dedicated hug’ round, where participants are encouraged to express personal devotion to a particular tree of their choice, possibly through a song, poem or ‘love letter’.
For spectators who happen to venture down into the woods on that particular day, it may be the ‘hugging freestyle’ round that is most likely to stop them from getting up.
Tournaments elsewhere have seen participants cling to trees using all four branches, locked in long-lasting embraces and in an almost meditative state.
The judges will note the efforts of the participants with the best judged having the opportunity to enter the mother of all tree hugging events, the world championships held in the HaliPuu Forest of Finland, located approximately 170km north of the Arctic Circle.
According to Glasgow tournament co-organiser Shuna Mercer, an outdoor play therapist, while tree-hugging may have been quickly dismissed as crazy in the past, there is a new understanding of the benefits of nature on physical and mental health. means that more people are willing to do that. give it a try.
He added that the number of places for the event had been snapped up almost as soon as it was advertised with demand being so high that a waiting list for places had been introduced.
“We’ve been amazed at how much people are interested in it,” he said.
“The tickets sold so quickly that we had to put a cap on numbers and create a waiting list.
“People have been asking if we can hold tournaments elsewhere as well.”
The Glasgow event, on Sunday, October 6, was inspired by the Annual Scottish Tree Hugging Championships, which gathered in the ancient oak woodlands of Ariundle in Sunart in July.
Although it was raining and the participants had to cover up midges and ticks, the event – the third time for the championships – attracted more than 20 competitors and a crowd of spectators.
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“He gave me a ‘eureka’ moment and thought a tournament to raise awareness of the benefits in an urban setting, in Glasgow, the ‘dear green place’, would be amazing,” said Shuna.
“It is an opportunity to raise awareness of the natural world around us and how we can use and take advantage of it in our busy lives, because it is there, on our doorstep.”
Having grown up with a 35 acre forest on her doorstep and with her father, Hugh Fife, having written three books about trees and promoting their mental health benefits, she believes science has taken time to catch up up.
“Science now shows that there are social, emotional and mental health benefits. It can lower the heart rate, and simply being out in nature has a very calming effect.
“In our fast-paced society, it’s hard to be present in the moment when we’re constantly working, there’s hourly access to phones and computers that you work every hour.
“It is important to give ourselves these times to rest and relax.”
While going for a walk can be a boon, he says pausing to hug a tree brings a deeper connection with nature, even tapping into the so-called web across the trees, the network of roots and fungus underground that share nutrients and, some believe, even communicate.
“You root your feet in ground which connects to the tree and its roots in the ground. It’s a beautiful thing,” he adds.
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Various studies have shown that being close to trees can bring a variety of benefits. One study examined how trees release volatile essential oils called phytoncides that have antimicrobial properties and may influence immunity.
Another study that examined the behavior of children showed that those who live near a green space show less hyperactive behavior and that they score higher on measures of concentration and visual memory testing compared to children who do not.
In Finland, the tree hugging tournament was invented by Riitta Raekallio-Wunderink and her husband Steffan, after they realized that the pandemic lockdowns had sparked a desire among people to reconnect with nature.
It takes place in a forest owned by the family and, having reached a stage where it was ready to be harvested, they realized they could not bear to see it cut down.
Instead, it is now used for nature events and the focal point for a growing international network of tree-hugging tournaments.
Glasgow event co-organiser Vicki Dale, a ‘happiness facilitator’ who specializes in forest bathing, a Japanese process of relieving stress and boosting mood by spending time immersed in nature, says: “People have started to connect a lot with nature more since covid and they are starting to realize that there are benefits.
“It slows us down. But even if people spend time in nature, they don’t always ‘connect’ with it.
“That’s what’s important about the tournament, we invite people to connect with nature through the various events and also to think about how they want to connect with it.
“For the dedication and freestyle section, a lot of thought goes into how they want to connect with that particular tree and show their creativity.”
And, he adds, hugging a tree is no longer a laughing matter…
“When mutual hugging happens and everyone does it, no one is going to feel silly.
“And on a personal level, once you connect with a tree, you hide everything else.
“I think sometimes there are probably people who will think I’m a bit weird, but I come away from hugging a tree feeling so much better.”
For those who feel self-conscious hugging a tree, Shuna says that subsides quickly.
“The first time someone might feel a little nervous and worried and a little silly because of the bad rap that tree hugging has had over the years.
“But there’s a definite feeling of being grounded, calm and peaceful once they’ve done it. They say it’s actually very nice.
“People think they’re not that type of person, they don’t hug trees and then find they actually enjoy it.”
Glasgow’s first Tree Hugging Tournament takes place at Dams to Darnley Country Park on Sunday, October 6
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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