it turns out that simply being near water (watching waves, sitting by a river, or even listening to the sound of rain) can slow your thoughts and ease up stress.

It’s called Blue Mind… and though you may not have heard of it, but you’ve definitely felt it.

Listen to the episode here:

🎧 3 - Tapping Into Blue Mind: The Great Green Escape by Aristaios

The scientist behind Blue Mind

American marine biologist and conservationist, Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, coined the term in his best‑selling book Blue Mind, where he describes it as

“a mildly meditative state characterised by calm, peacefulness, unity, and a sense of general happiness and satisfaction with life in the moment.

It is inspired by water and elements associated with water, from the colour blue to the words we use to describe the sensation associated with immersion.”

In other words, Blue Mind is the opposite of an overloaded, anxious feeling which many people face day-to-day.

Why water ‘works’ on your brain

Scientists think several things are happening when you’re near water:

• Your brain slips into ‘involuntary attention’
  Waves and ripples are simple and hypnotic. They are easy to look at without effort. They can help to fade out your thoughts and give your attention a rest.

• Happy chemicals rise and stress hormones decline
  Some researchers have noticed that water increases dopamine and other neurotransmitters linked to relaxation and pleasure. At the same time, cortisol often goes down.

Blue Mind isn’t just for surfers

You don’t need to live on the coast to tap into Blue Mind. Nicholls emphasises that it can be activated by

• an ocean, a lake, or a river

• a backyard pool or fountain

• even the sound of rain or a recording of waves

A personal note about the water

For me, Blue Mind started as a child, watching sunlight create wiggly light patterns on the bottom of my friend’s pool. Later, as an adult, it was Coogee Beach in the summer. It’s crystal clear enough to see the fish, which makes me feel safe to laze around and let go.

Some of you may know our show’s resident storyteller and musician, Lachlan. On the show, he shares how his piece of Blue Mind has evolved to dipping his hands and face in rivers and streams around the world. He sees it as leaving a bit of him behind and taking some of that place with him.

A simple exercise to start your Blue Mind practice

Try this next time you’re near any water:

1. Stand still

2. Notice the SOUND of the water.

3. See how it MOVES.

4. FEEL it in your skin (if you can).

5. If your mind is active, loosen your grip on your thoughts and let them float away.

Do this for a few minutes, and notice any physical or mental changes. That’s Blue Mind you’re experiencing.

Listen to the episode here:

🎧 3 - Tapping Into Blue Mind: The Great Green Escape by Aristaios

Part of the episode is a ‘winter weather report’, but not the usual temperature-and-rain sort. This one includes tides, fungi, forests, migrating whales and stargazing.

Here’s that briefing on winter in Australia. I hope the learning inspires you like it did for me.

The tides (and what swims beneath them)

Winter in Australia brings king tides, rolling in at night. Because they happen in the cover of darkness (without an audience), we tend to miss them. In places like Derby in WA, or along the Great Barrier Reef, the tides can be especially significant.

And beneath the waves, there are whales. Loads of them. In fact, around 75,000 whales migrate along Australia’s coastlines in winter.

The whales are mostly humpbacks, but also southern right whales and the odd orca. The reason they’re making such a long journey is to north to breed and calve.

The weather

Down south in Tasmania, Victoria, and parts of New South Wales, daytime temperatures range between 5 and 15°C. Nights are often below zero. You’ll get frost, fog, and even a dusting of snow if you’re lucky (or not, depending on your plans).

Up north, things are much warmer. Queensland and Northern Territory feel more like mild spring than traditional winter. Picture clear skies, cool air, and even picnic weather.

And in Western Australia, winter is when the rain finally arrives. The southwest perks up. And beneath all that rain, wildflower seeds prepare to germinate.

In the forest

While some trees hibernate in winter, the understory, which is the lower layer of shrubs, ferns and fungi, are not so inactive.

Winter is also peak mushroom season in many parts of Australia. In the wild, we might see:

• Saffron Milkcap (not edible raw, but charming to look at)

• Turkey Tail (good for your immune system)

• Pixie’s Parasol (it’s blue!)

• Ghost Mushrooms (which glow in the dark thanks to bioluminescence)

You’ll also find wattles starting to bloom in a beautiful shock of colour.

The stars above

In winter, Sirius, AKA the ‘Dog Star’, is visible low in the western sky after sunset. This is the brightest star we can see from Earth, because it sits only 8.6 light-years away. It’s an important star. Ancient Egyptians watched for its return to mark the flooding of the Nile, and farmers over the centuries watched it to gain an exact bearing on the season. I watch it because it’s a nice reminder of seasonal change.

In the sky, you’ll also spot Orion, Taurus, Gemini, and the Southern Cross, which are wonderful seasonal performers. And if you’re in Tasmania, you might catch a glimpse of the Aurora Australis, or bands of green or violet light flickering across the sky. This happens when the sun’s particles meet the Earth’s magnetic field in a rather gorgeous display.

And here on the ground...

You might be sleeping longer, reaching for hot drinks, and hopefully getting slightly less done than usual. That means winter is doing its work.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here:
Winter is Good For You — The Great Green Escape

Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

There’s something almost subversive about saying winter is good for you.

We’re conditioned to try to ‘bloom’ constantly, like it’s always springtime in our internal body clock. But bodies are not built that way.

I read a great quote by author Barbara Sher on this recently:

"We, ourselves, are the only creatures we would ever expect to flourish in an environment that does not give us what we need. We wouldn't order a spider to spin an exquisite web in an empty space, or a seed to sprout on a bare desktop, and yet that is exactly what we have been demanding of ourselves."
— Barbara Sher

So in this episode of The great green escape by Aristaios, we make the case for winter as a necessary, wonderful, and even medicinal time.

No need to go full hibernation (unless you're a Mountain Pygmy-possum reading this, in which case, carry on). But perhaps there’s a more aligned way to move through these darker days.

In this episode

• Why winter gets such a bad rap, and what science says instead

• What circadian biology, seasonal affective moods, and dormancy teach us

• Why slowing down is intuitive

• Soundscapes, stories, and a gentle nudge to tune into your tree-N-A, as it were

Reflections from the field

Take these into your journaling, your walking, or your cup of tea:

• What if rest wasn't something you earned, but something you needed?

• Where might your inner ecosystem be desperate for some quiet?

• If your calendar followed the seasons, not work-related cycles, what would change?

Further listening & reading

• The Circadian Code: Dr. Satchin Panda

• Wintering: Katherine May

Remember, even nature hibernates when it needs to.

So far, through pilot programs, thousands of participants have reported improvements in:

• anxiety,

• depression,

• mood,

• overall wellbeing...

…with no clear side effects (unless you count muddy socks, or leaves strewn about in your car; those can be annoying).

The stats

Here’s some data from their findings so far. Note these are measured on a scale of 1 to 10 with clinically tested instruments.

• Depression symptoms reduced: 8.1 → 5.6

• Life satisfaction increased: 4.7 → 6.8

• Happiness jumped from 5.3 → 7.5

These findings were based on over 8,500 referrals from doctors. Reports so far have captured some important findings; for example, that while daily doses of nature carried the best outcomes, even weekly made a difference. In short, you can get small snippets of nature and still gain some psychological and physical benefits.

Meanwhile, in Australia...

Our own Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is calling for a similar system: a national, whole-of-government approach to referring patients back to nature.

Because while the research is clear, the referral pathways… are still patchy.

Imagine if every GP could offer you an activity that brings you to a gardening group, a weekly hike, or outdoor fitness or meditation instead of screen-based.

Let’s take a moment

If your body were writing you a prescription right now… what would it ask for?

Want more?

Listen to The Great Green Escape, Episode 1, where we explore our ‘Tree-N-A‘.

“What if I told you that trees could communicate with each other? That the ocean can change our brain chemistry, and that the moon, storms, and even birdsong can have subtle but fascinating effects on our behaviour?”

Welcome to the first ever episode of The Great Green Escape by Aristaios, a podcast where we explore the wonderful connections between humans and the natural world.

In this episode, we delve into the concept of our Tree-N-A: the curious bonds we share with nature that are often overlooked in our modern lives.

🎧 Listen here
Online, via Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In this episode

• The ‘Wood Wide Web’: Discover how trees communicate through underground mycorrhizal networks, sharing nutrients and information, a concept popularised by Dr. Suzanne Simard's research.

• Lunar influences: Explore studies from the University of Basel and the University of Washington that reveal how lunar cycles can affect our sleep patterns and mood.

• Nature's impact on wellbeing: Learn about the benefits of forest bathing, the calming effects of birdsong, and how urban greening can reduce crime rates.

Take a moment

Here are three reflective questions. Pick one and take a moment to consider it.

• When do you feel most connected to the ‘more-than-human’ world, AKA the world outside of our ‘human problems’?

• How might acknowledging your innate connection to nature influence your daily routines?

• What bring you a sense of calm and clarity?

Stay tuned for our next episode, where we explore the unexpected benefits of embracing the colder seasons in Winter is good for you.

And, again, you can listen here:

🎧 Listen here
Online, via Apple Podcasts, or Spotify