welcome!
Thank you for joining in the portal opening.
“environmental wellbeing is the evolution of all I have learned through practice, travel and lifework over the past 20 years.
It is where my formal training as a social worker m e e t s
the varied, wild and deep experiences in my lifes journey”.
Last night I held a special, small launch for my close supporters. It was a real treat for me to share this moment family & friends from all around the world, Australia, Turkey, Germany, Mexico & NZ. There were an impressive number of cats + dogs who joined the session too, as well as people using video call technology for the first time. What a treasure!
It was organic, unfolding & not recorded, just like this space. I’m sharing a few of the words I opened the portal with, here.
portal launch 27.04.21 under a Scorpio Moon. . .
I’m here on the Land of the Walbunja Yuin people, in my new home where I moved at the start of this year. I acknowledge the Ancestors & Elders of this land, and the midden sites that exist on the beaches where I walk most afternoons.
environmental wellbeing was dreamt & birthed on Larrakia Country and I honour the beautiful relationship with that land, and her people. It is important for me to maintain these contacts and I will continue to hold my time in the NT in my heart.
Thank you to those who are joining along in English, I hope that we can offer translations in time.
There are quite a lot of acknowledgements I want to make, from the bones of the website to the beautiful photos, and words of advice. You will find these at the end.
Let me tell you a little story, going back to 2016.
Tropical nights,
The cool of a rainforest morning.
“felt it in my body, before my mind knew what was happening”.
In late 2016 I was living in the Tropics and working in a very challenging environment. I was pretty depleted, after an already big start to the year and my body was letting me know. I was already experiencing some anxiety and started having panic attacks that would wake me in my sleep, meaning I was not getting good rest. I would often wake early after a restless night and wander into the botanic gardens, the backyard to where I was living. One morning, I walked through the gates and passed the big Banyan trees, their giant vines reaching to the ground, and I felt this incredible cool wash over my body. It was like my body responded instantly, softening and calming. As I kept walking into the leafy green of the rainforest, my mind was curious about what had happened. . and I realised my breathing had slowed, my shoulders were just a little bit softer and I felt safe. It became a treasured ritual, those morning walks through the gardens - and I began spending more and more time in nature while sharing these moments via instagram.
It was through this sharing on instagram, that I began to feel a very intentional movement in what I was doing and experiencing. And I know this resonated with you too - as I received messages of support, shared nature scenes and private reflections of what these stories evoked.
In 2019 I started curating ‘online retreat portals’ via instagram. The idea was that people could experience a ‘mini dose’ of what they might expect at a retreat, and access this throughout their day. I’ll write more about the retreats another time, here are some of the themes we have journeyed so far. .
Rockpool Retreat
Retreat of Tiny Details
Retreat of the hands
Retreat of First Light
I take you With Me retreat
Our relationship with nature is reciprocal. There is so much medicine in the moment we tune in, and even in our busy lives - we can find these moments to connect in the ritual of the everyday.
An ask,
I would really appreciate if you can share the website / instagram posts, when it moves you. Every like, comment and message is noticed and appreciated.
environmental wellbeing began as an idea and has changed forms several times – in this way it is an evolving process, much like the rhythms of nature.
I am excited to weave + work this wisdom, and share more with you along the way.
Much love, thanks for being here.
Emma x
