I continue to spend a great deal of time in nature - in places that provide opportunities for adventure and promote a sense of wellness. Recently I hiked back into a canyon by following the bed of a flowing creek. The hike required that I cross the creek at various points and scramble up the bank to traverse the canyon as it got steeper.

The experience and life in general inspired me to consider the term “adventure wellness” to describe the work I am doing with clients. The work does not have to involve hiking without a trail to follow, but being in the forest and navigating a flowing stream make it real.

The idea of adventure wellness can be an overlay for life in general. On my birthday last year, I spent a good part of the day volunteering at a horse ranch in Point Reyes. It was my first day as a volunteer and I had gone on four or five rides into the Point Reyes National Seashore before, but that day, my birthday, I was raking and scooping manure and mud. There was something surreal about that choice. It felt right and I continue to go up one or two days each week to volunteer. Now I ride as a guide as well, but the cleaning of the corrals is always part of the day.

So what’s the point of adventure wellness? I suppose it’s that if you treat the challenges in your life as adventures and welcome them with as much joy and ease as you muster, that you are a lot more likely to experience wellness. Of course, it’s nice to be able to choose your adventure and pair it with the experience of wellness. Indeed, do that too. Get out into nature; breathe the air that the trees are providing for you; feel the blood flowing through your aching body as you move; and breathe some more.

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