By Parag Dalsania, MD
Think about the last time you saw a fluttering butterfly on a sunny day. I bet that memory brought a smile. Then at some point you realize both belong together outside. Imagine if you saw a butterfly inside your home, shuddering in front a computer.
Just like that butterfly, we and the outdoors belong together. It is in our nature to move in harmony—us and the Earth—on this shared journey through the cosmos. As the Earth rotates, flows, and breathes, so do we. When we align with its rhythm, we remember: we are not separate. We are part of the same dance. This is how we were created. This is how we were meant to be.
That truth is often buried under the clutter of screens, apps, emails, walls, work, and routines—but it’s still there. The moment we step into the open air, barefoot or bundled, something awakens. The body softens, as the breath truly deepens without you even knowing. This allows our hyperactive nervous system to say, “Thank you for letting me rest and bringing me back to where I know, I belong.”
Did you know that if you were to walk even 20 minutes outdoors versus 20 minutes indoors, you would actually burn more calories? That’s because walking outside engages more muscle groups. As a bonus, your balance improves, your endurance builds, as your body adjusts to uneven terrain, shifts with the wind, leans into inclines. Your entire body becomes alert and active in a way no treadmill can replicate.
Outdoors, your senses come alive—the real light, the true warmth, and the scent connect and unite us, like strands woven into a single blanket. Being outdoors is more than movement – it awakens and heals parts of us we may not even know are quietly struggling, or not yet hurting.
And that healing is measurable. Just 20 minutes a day outdoors can lower your blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance. Your skin begins producing vitamin D naturally as it was intended to be that way (not from a pill in our dark gut, or by a plastic bagged drip) that supports immune health, mood, and bone strength. Even your gut and your metabolism respond—because light, movement, and breath are part of your internal medicine. On the cloudiest days, there is more appropriate light than any average home or work environment.
If you’ve been struggling with poor sleep, here’s something simple: Go outside first thing in the morning and let your eyes see sunlight for 10 minutes. Don’t stare at the sun—just let the light come in, and look at the farthest horizon. This small act resets your circadian rhythm, encouraging your body to produce melatonin at night. You’ll fall asleep easier, sleep deeper, and wake up feeling like you’ve rested peacefully covered. It’s like waking up with Jasmine-scented bed sheets. You even improve your eyesight by exposing your eyes to natural light and expanding your depth of field.
Natural light and green space also reduce inflammation and cortisol, your primary stress hormone. With lower cortisol, blood pressure comes down, and stress fades. Even aches and pains from the day before? They sometimes vanish. And it’s not just a feeling—your immune markers change. Cytokines go down, and Natural Killer cells which patrol your body by finding and killing cancer cells or those infected by virus and bacteria – go UP. This is often the start of real healing—not a pill, not a patch or some new supplement.
This storm of life may just continue to pass by you, as you wait the perfect moment to go outside. Just go, anytime, as any movement is perfect for your body and mind. Why not even go outside in the rain, get wet as there are tremendous health benefits.
- Did you know that the eyes “feel” the rain by recognizing the shifting gray light and the motions of raindrops trickling down a leaf. They lead to softening of your emotions and make you feel relaxed.
- The sounds of the rain are a primordial sound, and our ears detect a gentle, random rhythm and respond by activating and aligning the restorative pathways of the nervous system—helping the body light up with calm and clarity. Thus, you can you sleep better, focus more, breath more deeply and slowly, and relax the heart, improve your immunity, and even your digestion. It even increases your heart strength (resiliency) both physically and emotionally.
- Did you know that your skin is your largest organ in your body and its your connection to the outside world. The touching of random rain drops activates thousands of nerve endings on your skin. This awakens the sensing of being alive, and stimulates your neuroimmune endocrine system which helps our emotions to heal our tension, anxieties and fears, often the roots of many diseases.
So go play and jump in the puddles, and laugh in the stillness of it all. And for all of this to last, it must be in joy.
The word “enjoy” literally means to be “in-joy. Often forced exercise routines often can fall apart. Wake up at 5 a.m., drive 20 minutes in the dark to a fluorescent gym, run in place on a treadmill and feel energized? That works—until life gets in the way. And when it does, your motivation drops, your routine breaks, and you feel worse for not sticking to it.
But movement born of joy—that’s something you return to. You might go for a walk at sunset, shoot hoops with your kids, dance barefoot in your kitchen, go fishing, or a ride your bike. If your lucky, you might even be doing yoga by the sea, breathing with the waves, stretching into your own space. That’s not a workout. That’s a life practice.
So, let us stop chasing health in windowless boxes, pills, and the latest pop-up fads, and start remembering that we were made for sky. Our essential nature was in the outdoors, not for an environment for us take our vacations or lunch breaks in. We humans were meant to be to moving outdoors.
When you step outside, let the sun enlighten you, let the breeze move through you, let the rain touch you, and let the Earth hold you. Fully present, fully alive, you complete the picture.
Movement in nature, is not an exercise, rather it a reunion – just enjoy it.
