In ancient Indian culture, several plants were considered sacred because of their medicinal properties. Many of these were grown at home and people had a common knowledge of how they could take care of simple ailments through home remedies. This plant based medicinal knowledge grew into schools of medicine such as Siddha, Ayurveda and Naturopathy. While Indians today, still consider some of the plants sacred and might have rituals worshipping them, very few have an intimate relationship with them or know how they are to be used to keep ones daily health robust.
The Healing with Nature programme aims to revive these simple techniques by helping people learn to grow them at home once again and make simple home remedies using these plants.
Healing with Nature involves reconnecting our mind body and spirit to the earth and her rhythms. For most urban residents, there is little occasion to do this directly. Once a month we offer opportunities for volunteers to work on an organic farm, doing the labour that is required to keep a farm going. This allows them to use their bodies in a way they don’t normally do and experience a sensory contact with Nature directly. The programme helps people reflect on their day of work and how it has shifted their perception.
The interaction between humans and domesticated animals has the capacity to heal both.
