Embodied Foraging

Modern day living leaves us feeling disconnected, but what exactly is it that we are disconnected from? Just like every other life form on this planet our evolution was shaped by our surroundings, by our habitat and place in the world. When we look back at our history, we tend to focus on recent events on the homo sapiens timeline and discount everything before civilisation as ‘stone age’. But civilisation is a recent phenomenon for us, it came very late on our timeline. If all human history to the present date was condensed into a 24 hour clock the first civilised cultures don’t appear until about 10pm. That’s if we only consider the last 100,000 years of Homo sapiens. If we are talking about Homo erectus which first walked the earth 2 million years ago then we can re-adjust the civilisation time to about 11.45! So essentially, we are stone age creatures living in strange times and we are certainly not living in the habitats that evolution designed us for.
But what is a human’s habitat? A creatures’ habitat is usually clear and easy to define, each creature has evolved with special adaptations that make it suitable for their habitat. But human habitats are almost as varied as habitats themselves, we seem to be able to live almost anywhere on the planet. This is because our special evolutionary adaptation is habitat manipulation; we can make a home almost anywhere. Our population 5000 years ago was less than 1% of what it is now, but with a combination of communication and division of labour we are where we are today. 8 billion of us livinf in sprawling, overcrowded metropolis in pretty much every country. Urban populations account for 60% of our overall population and this figure is rising, expected to be up to 70% by 2050. Towns and cities that do not require us to venture out into natural environments as we keep fit in the gym, keep warm at work and home regardless of the weather outside and drive from one place to another in cars on tarmac roads. It’s no wonder we feel disconnected.

Time to re-connect. Foraging has been part of our history for most of the human timeline. It goes without saying that foraging is good for us; it isn’t just about scavenging free food, although I can’t deny that that still gives me a buzz every time I return home with a basket full of wild edibles! More than that it is about connecting with nature. Species identification and understanding habitats and how everything in that habitat connects gives you a much better understanding of the natural world around you as you go for a walk in the woods. The knowledge and understanding helps you to understand how you can connect with nature, what a human’s place might be in that habitat. The basket of edibles that you take home will nourish you and provide you with sustenance, and it feels wholesome.

Embodied foraging is an exercise in slowing down and noticing the nature around you. It is about recognising and understanding and connecting with the wild food item you’ve found. Your connection is more than just understanding what species you have found and it’s more than the physical connection with the environment with your senses as you listen to the sounds and feel the air on your skin. Your connection is that you are to become one with the species you’ve found; you will assimilate it into your being.
Slow down. Look at the small things. Study an edible plant, flower or mushroom and see what is unique about it. Before you consume it take a moment to pause and feel its texture on your lips, its smells in your mouth before you bite down on it….

Embodied foraging is a wonderful workshop of wellbeing but also a philosophical dive into what the feeling of connecting with nature really is and why it feels so bloody wholesome and good.