Every summer time I hotfoot it all the way down to Cornwall to spend per week frolicking in the sea, strolling the South West Coast Path and customarily recharging on the seaside. When I return to London, I all the time really feel refreshed and rejuvenated and far happier too – and there is a good motive why. A latest survey by the South West Coast Path reported that 80 per cent of individuals really feel extra optimistic after strolling the coast, whereas three quarters really feel much less burdened and 57 per cent are capable of sleep higher. Perhaps attributable to the greater ranges of oxygen in contemporary clear coastal air.
Writer Laura Silverman, writer of The Little Book for Wild Swimmers, notes that Cornwall’s seaside location is also accountable for the good vibes I really feel when I’m on the coast.
“Spending 20 minutes regularly in or near blue spaces – large bodies of water – boosts our long-term well-being. Blue mind theory, developed by marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols, suggests that being around water encourages a gentle meditative state,” she writes.
“The blue hue may well be important: according to colour psychology, we associate it with feelings of peace and tranquillity. Watching the ocean has also been shown to increase alpha waves in our brain, which are those produced when we’re calm. Moreover, listening to the crash of waves or lapping water switches on our parasympathetic nervous system, the network of nerves that relaxes us.”
Given that the winter is a extra depressing time of 12 months than summer time, I questioned if a dose of Cornwall’s magic would work in winter, too? I made a decision to present it a strive, hitting the M4 searching for Cornwall’s calming vibes, regardless of the roaring wind and pelting rain.
Arriving at the Bedruthan Hotel and Spa, I used to be struck by how quiet the seaside the lodge ignored was, with barely a soul on it save for a number of overexcited canines enjoying in the waves, however the abandoned seaside made me really feel all the extra serene. “Out of high season, Cornwall offers a quiet space to reconnect, get back to nature away from the hustle of city life,” says a spokesperson for The Scarlet Hotel, the place I spent an evening throughout my quest for calm.
My rooms at each the Bedruthan Spa Hotel and The Scarlet (that are subsequent door to one another) had floor-to-ceiling home windows searching onto the sea and I spent a blissful hour watching the waves as the solar set. I bought one other repair of sea-gazing whereas I used to be in the clifftop sizzling tub at The Scarlet. Perched open air on the fringe of the cliff, I whiled away an hour enjoyable in the tub, not even minding that the rain was pouring and the wind was howling.
The coastal location of each properties is essential to their enchantment, with Th Scarlet explaining: “Many of us feel more relaxed and at peace by the sea. Simply focusing on the sea can change our brain wave frequency into a mild meditative state.
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“Being both beside or totally immersed inside the sea, acts as a type of mindfulness as individuals are inclined to concentrate on all elements of it, – the rhythms of its waves, its temperature, style and odor, somewhat than their busy, overactive minds and ideas.
“We find at Scarlet being by the coast helps our guests to restore a balanced relationship with the natural coastal ecosystem that they take home with them. We encourage them to adopt a simple way of living that’s about slowing down, using less and appreciating more.”
The incontrovertible fact that it was blowing a gale for a lot of my time in Cornwall meant that after I ventured out of the spa and into the parts, the wind was towards me on my coastal walks, with The Scarlet explaining that is a part of the great thing about Cornwall.
“As well as encouraging people to slow down and reflect being by the coast is also about embracing the elements. The wind, the rain, the power of the ocean.”
The Scarlet’s indoor pool is framed by floor-to-ceiling home windows, so you possibly can see the sea always, and whereas I wasn’t courageous sufficient to take a dip in the uneven waters, The Scarlet explains being close to the sea nonetheless doubtless had a profound impact. “Even without physically being in the sea, we find watching the elements in action can have a very powerful and profound effect on the mind, bringing the strength of the elements into a person’s mindset and approach. That’s why we try to have our guests get out and explore or simply find a quiet place and watch the wonders of our rugged clifftop location (whatever the weather).”
Indeed, throughout my journey, I used to be impressed to strive chilly water swimming for the first time ever, in The Scarlet’s outside pure pool. I used to be actually emboldened by the incontrovertible fact that seconds after exiting the chilly water, I might be in the outside sauna or safely again inside in seconds, however possibly the difficult climate impressed me too.
I’ve written about chilly water swimming many, many occasions and by no means been impressed to strive it, however after seeing an older girl serenely doing lengths in the outside pool, I discovered myself submerging my physique in the icy waters.
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I can not say I favored it, however I did really feel extra energised than I ever had earlier than and I might actually really feel the blood returning to every a part of my physique as I warmed up, which was actually distinctive. I additionally felt the most unbelievable sense of readability about half an hour after leaving the pool, with issues that had been bothering me for months all of the sudden seeming easy.
During my keep, I used to be handled to an ayurvedic attuned therapeutic massage in The Scarlet’s spa, and it was like being transported to an Arabian palace with low, glowing lighting and tent model remedy rooms.
Unlike another therapeutic massage I’ve had, this was tailor-made to me. My therapist requested how I used to be feeling and my plans for the day (which occurred to be a coastal stroll), and created a bespoke, energising remedy, designed to present me the rise up and go required to deal with Cornwall’s cliffs.
Normally I really feel dozy post-massage, however when my therapist confirmed me to the blissful rest room to relaxation in post-massage, I solely stayed for 5 minutes as I used to be feeling so invigorated I wished to tackle the day somewhat than take a nap.
All in all, my winter Cornwall go to was simply as rejuvenating as my summer time breaks – if no more so. While lounging on the seaside is idyllic, the bracing chilly climate helped clear my thoughts, and the sea’s magical calming powers labored simply as nicely throughout a storm as on a transparent, summer time day.
Read extra inspiring tales of the energy of nature on HELLO!’s Nurtured by Nature hub.
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