Author Archives: NatureMinded

Non-native contributions: Introducing Jonna & Taiga-Yoga

In this series, I want to highlight some expat entrepreneurs who are contributing to the wellbeing of people living in Belgium with their nature based offerings. Because I am a Forest-Finn, it gives me such pleasure to start off the series with a fellow forest-Finn, Jonna Kokko (Jonna´s last name means a big bonfire thatContinue reading “Non-native contributions: Introducing Jonna & Taiga-Yoga”

Veerkrachtpad (Resilience path) opening at Borgwal, Vurste

Today we officially opened the resilience path at the beautiful Borgwal domain in Vurste (Gavere). This route of +2 km contains exercises that invite you to slow down, stop and immerse yourself in the forest. From Saturday September 12th you are very welcome to try out the Veerkrachtpad yourself and enjoy the positive health effectsContinue reading “Veerkrachtpad (Resilience path) opening at Borgwal, Vurste”

Opkikkerpad & Veerkrachtpad

Afgelopen donderdag openden we het Opkikkerpad in Puyenbroeck. Sindsdien ben ik in Vlaanderen op radio (Radio2, Nostalgie) en tv (AVS) geweest. Waarover gaat het? Het is duidelijk dat het belang van de natuur voor welzijn eindelijk is opgemerkt in Vlaanderen. Het maakt me heel gelukkig. De ophef over het Opkikkerpad heeft waarschijnlijk te maken metContinue reading “Opkikkerpad & Veerkrachtpad”

Guided wellbeing path

Last Thursday we opened the Opkikkerpad (“Boost path”), and since then I´ve been on radio (Radio2, Nostalgie) and TV (AVS) in Flanders. What is all this fuss about? Clearly nature´s importance for wellbeing has been finally noticed in Flanders and we at NatureMinded could not be happier. The fuss about the Opkikker pad has probablyContinue reading “Guided wellbeing path”

Finding and losing nature in Belgium

Since the lockdown, I am able to spend more time outdoors and I am overjoyed seeing people walking in the neighbourhood.  The dog walkers have been joined by families, young and older couples, even youngsters, in the neighbourhood green spaces.
But this dreamy scenario was not always as dreamy..

Coping with the pandemic – survey

We at NatureMinded seek to deepen the current understanding of aspects supporting or hindering mental health and wellbeing during our first (but probably not last) pandemic.  Together with our partners from Steunpunt Geestelijk Gezondheid, we are launching a survey in three languages to involve as many people as possible in this endeavour. The data collectedContinue reading “Coping with the pandemic – survey”

Getting your nature dose during COVID-19 in Flanders

Since we started hearing the awful news from Italy, it started to dawn on many people that we were also headed to a lockdown. And many people started finding their way out into nature. No wonder, as the internet is blasting out messages of how if one is not feeling sick, they should be gettingContinue reading “Getting your nature dose during COVID-19 in Flanders”

Kansen en mogelijkheden voor bostherapie in Vlaanderen

Kansen en mogelijkheden voor bostherapie in Vlaanderen BLOG – Frank Monsecour – Nature Minded 1 maart 2020 Gontrode, vrijdagmiddag 28 februari, grote zaal BOS+. Eind februari brachten Prof. Iwao Uehara, Dr Hiroe Takeuchi en Dr Shinji Takashima Japanse bosdeskundigen en -therapeuten, op initiatief van NatureMinded, een werkbezoek  aan Vlaanderen. Dit is een samenvatting van datContinue reading “Kansen en mogelijkheden voor bostherapie in Vlaanderen”

Japan: beyond forest bathing

In late November, trees in Tokyo – the capital city of Japan and one of the largest cities in the world – are still relatively green.  Three members of the IFTDays team (myself, Heidi Korhonen and Nitin Das), we have arrived to explore the concept of shinrin yoku that is gaining popularity in the WesternContinue reading “Japan: beyond forest bathing”