Fascinating Women: Joey Mead King On The Healing Power Of Bathing In Nature

We're craving the outdoors more than ever before. After being in quarantine for an entire year, and then some, our inner beings are calling out to the sun, sand, sea, trees, and fresh air to refresh our minds. Truly, being next to nature has a therapeutic, almost healing effect on people, and being near it for extended periods of time has many positive effects. 

One such woman who is very vocal about her love for nature is none other than Joey Mead King, the multi-hyphenate who journeys through every season of life as graciously as can be. In Rustan’s The Beauty Source’s recent #GRLPWR: Make It Happen campaign that showcased empowered women’s stories of rising up despite challenges and setbacks, Joey gushed about her love for outdoors and how this has helped her cope in the past months. Keep reading to find out how you too can fall in love with being one with nature: 

Joey and Angie Mead King have been enjoying their home in Lake Caliraya since last year, and looking at their Instagram feeds only tells us that the couple is finding bliss in nature. Angie has gone into farming and bee farming, while Joey has been doing holistic wellness practices and empowering hobbies to help get her through these days of uncertainty.

Crystals, sound baths, reiki, meditation, yoga, QiGong, reading, weaving, and crochet are just some of the things that occupy Joey’s days in Lake Caliraya, and she couldn’t help but share how much joy she finds in being one with nature.

In #GRLPWR, Joey shares, "I enjoy physical meditation, I like to do interpretative dance, I'm not a dancer but interpretative dance for me is a nice form of meditation. Moving meditation, QiGong, I started doing this and studying it last year—these are different holistic elements, and of course, the most popular and the easiest one to do is a meditative walk. Nature bathing. Forest bathing. Connecting with nature. This in itself is a meditative act, it's a chance for you to put down a device, keep it in your knapsack and just immerse yourself in the energy of nature, or the energy of your surroundings. It's a wonderful opportunity to ground, connect with that chi."

You might be thinking, 'well, meditation isn't really for me. My mind is too busy. I don't have time, or I don't know how.' Joey goes on to elaborate, that just being outside near nature, and taking a walk is meditative in itself: "It's a hike. It's a walk. But you can make it a meditative walk. You can even put on your sounds, just make sure you're walking and whatever creates joy for you. I think that's really the baseline of being aware of what you're creativity can come up with, or what your joy is. Or really that moment where you can delve into YOU. It's not always about enlightenment, peace, and joy, it's delving into the darker aspects of you also. That's also meditative and healing."

Missing the outdoors pretty bad? Perhaps it's time to spend more time outside, provided your safety protocols are always in place. Being cooped up within the confines of home can take a toll on some people, and just some semblance of nature can do wonders. It may be spending more time in your garden or backyard, or grabbing the next opportunity to head to the beach or the mountains when travel restrictions are lifted once again. Let's take it from Joey!

Photos via @joeymeadking