West Michigan nature-based workplace wellness programs

In Your Element (idiom):

“To be in a state of flow; doing something that you enjoy doing from a place of calm, focus, creativity and ease”

Sounds like a nice way to spend the work day, doesn’t it?

We know that your team is full of talented people that are uniquely qualified to fit their role, but to perform at our best, attention to our wellness is important.

What if your team members could learn how to reduce stress levels, improve focus and boost their energy just by stepping outside?

We’re here to help you make this a reality.

Why bring nature into your wellness programs?

In our technology-based economy, we spend more time indoors and on computers than ever before.

Our devices constantly pull on our attention. With email alerts running in the background, phones ringing, pressure for fast response times and the stress of project deadlines, multi-tasking has become a necessary skillset.

On top of mental fatigue, hours spent seated in front of a screen can strain our eyes, cause lumbar and cervical spinal pain, circulation issues, and many other physical health issues.

This is where nature-based wellness comes in.

What happens in our body when we step away from the screen and spend purposeful time in nature?

Are the health benefits from being outside just placebo effect, or is there credible data to support this approach to wellness?

Here are a few fast facts:

There are decades of data from accredited institutions all over the world that corroborate specific health effects of spending time in nature.

As of 2019, US doctors are prescribing time in nature in 34 states as an antidote to anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Japan, Denmark, Norway, Scotland, the UK, and many other countries are doing the same.

It’s not just mental health. Research has also connected time in nature to lowered blood pressure and stress hormones, boosted immune system functioning, improved sleep and more.

“The best way to deal with stress at work is to go for a forest bath. I go for shinrin-yoku every lunchtime. You don’t need a forest; any small green space will do. Leave your cup of coffee and your phone behind. It will improve your mood, reduce tension and anxiety, and help you focus and concentrate for the rest of the day.”

― Dr. Qing Li, Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School + worlds foremost expert in forest medicine

Why work with In Your Element?

Nature is our specialty.

We’re here to not only educate your team on the wellness benefits of time in nature, but to skillfully guide your team in nature centered wellness experiences that will help them maximize the benefits of their time outside.

How does nature affect the brain? Stress hormones? Immune system health? Problem solving skills? Mental fatigue..?

Is all time in nature equal? Are there things we can do to enhance the beneficial effects of our time outdoors?

We’re here to answer these questions.

Our goal is to help your employees create long-term habits that can help them lower stress levels, improve their focus + restore their attention, and counter a variety of other modern day health concerns by simply stepping outside.

Offering inclusive wellness programs and boosting participation:

One of the big challenges in developing effective workplace wellness programs is increasing participation and offering programming that feels inclusive to all members of your team.

We’ve found that nature-focused wellness programs resonate across age groups, gender, physical fitness levels, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, people with disabilities, right-brained thinkers, left-brained thinkers, and many other defining characteristics that we hold as unique individuals.

Nature also provides a platform for team bonding, as many of us hold special memories in nature or relatable hobbies and interests that involve the outdoors.

Programming that is designed to help you meet your goals:

Our first step toward working together is a conversation that focuses on your wellness goals and allows us to learn a little more about you and your team. From there, we’ll chat about a variety of educational programming and wellness services to help you build a wellness program or enhance your existing program with new, engaging content.

Do you have a green initiative? Chat with us about how nature-based wellness programs may help expand your green initiative goals, too!

Our Wellness Services:

Work with us to create a dynamic, on-going workplace wellness program, or get started by booking a single wellness experience for your team:

Engaging conference and in-service presentations

Luncheon Learnings on topics like: how nature can help us manage and reduce stress levels, how to restore our energy and ability to focus during our time in nature, the fascinating benefits of a technology break and more.

Wellness Workshops combine a luncheon learning experience with an on-site wellness event. We’ll arm your team with practical knowledge on a specific wellness topic, and then we’ll lead them in a relaxing experience that helps them explore the benefits of the practice themselves.

On-site wellness events: guided outdoor wellness experiences for relaxation, stress relief, and attention restoration (location/weather dependent), alignment focused yoga classes, breathing exercises, guided nature visualizations for indoor relaxation, and more.

Off-site wellness events: nature immersion events for employee wellness and team bonding, typically between 2-3 hours long

Workplace wellness packages

Request a Workplace Wellness Catalog!

Is it possible to start a program during Covid-19?

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s the importance of caring for our mental and physical health. Being flexible in our approach is a part of the journey. Whether your team is working in a traditional office space or working remotely from home, we believe that there are effective ways to leverage tech-based connection while still focusing on the core theme of our wellness offerings: time away from the computer screen engaging with nature. We are here to help you arm your employees with lasting knowledge and tools to care for their well-being, both during Covid-19 and beyond it.