Could A Star-Bathing Retreat Help Calm Your Frazzled Mind?

 

From the Yorkshire Moors in England to the South African wilderness, star bathing is emerging as a transformative wellness trend – offering awe, calm and a cosmic reset.

I lie in an empty Victorian bathtub on heather moorland in the Yorkshire Moors in England's north. Above me, more and more stars appear as the sky slowly darkens from blue to violet to navy. Beside me, in her own bathtub, my star-bathing guide Gemma leads a meditation.

"Allow yourself to be awed by the incredible sky view that you're witnessing," she says softly. "Appreciate that we are here, right now, on this beautiful evening. Focus gently on the sky… and your breath. Just be." 

I feel cold and self-conscious. I am trying to suspend the part of me that is deeply sceptical because I desperately want an escape from the anxiety that has plagued the past three years of my life. A search for relief has led me to wild swimming, drumming, yoga and now to star-bathing – an emerging wellness practice that is being offered in hotels and retreats around the world.

Star bathing is not about identifying constellations, it's about losing yourself in the night sky; and a growing body of research suggests that it can help calm the nervous system, increase happiness and foster a sense of perspective.

So here I am, wrapped in blankets, on a weekend of stargazing run by Broughton Sanctuary, a 16th-Century historic house and collection of cottages located at the foothills of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, a designated International Dark Sky Reserve. There is a strong focus on the healing power of nature here – the 3,000-acre grounds are home to one of the UK's largest rewilding projects – and star bathing is just one of many activities designed to bring guests closer to the natural world.

The meditation ends and silence falls on the moors, broken by the distant hoot of an owl. I look up, trying not to think about the stressful week I've had. As the sky continues to darken, new stars appear as though by magic. My breathing slows. Suddenly I feel something shift. I realise that I am not just looking up at the universe, I am part of the universe. It is impossible not to feel awed by the vastness and beauty of the night sky above me.

The psychological benefits of experiencing awe are well documented – it has been proven to lower heart rate, increase the presence of oxytocin and reduce inflammation – and it's one of the reasons that stargazing is so good for our mental health.

"Experiencing awe regularly is deeply beneficial for our mental wellbeing because it helps us to feel connected to something bigger than ourselves," says Mark Westmoquette, an astrophysicist and yoga and meditation teacher who runs mindful stargazing retreats across the UK and Europe. "As we look up at the night sky and become aware of our place within it, that sense of wonder and awe can really shift our perspective around who and what we are."

While the mental health benefits of being in nature are well documented, it's only recently that researchers have begun to study the effects of being in a nocturnal natural environment.

- Author: Magali Bates, BBC