There are a number of classes available through Santa Barbara City College’s Continuing Education Program or Adult Ed that make use of the trails and open spaces in around and Santa Barbara. In fact when you think about it we are literally surrounded by an abundance of natural places that we can visit locally.
And yet how often do we avail ourselves of that abundance? Consider for a moment how much time you actually spend each day or each week outdoors, and how much of that is just moving from one indoor location to another? And when we are outside how much of that time is spent in nature?
Studies have shown that simply going for a walk outdoors can reduce stress and that spending time in nature can help “reset” us internally and even energize us. In many ways this is the essence of the Nature, Hiking and Self-Healing class offered through Adult Ed. Students from the class hike along the bluffs at Elwood
When Paula Sandefur moved to Hawaii in 2004 she invited Gaelyn Chambers, who had been a regular participant in the class almost since the beginning, to start teaching the class. Ms. Chambers has been teaching the class ever since.
The class takes place on our local trails and the week I visited the beginner’s class we hiked at the Elwood open space stopping at both the beach and the Coronado Butterfly Preserve. The hike had a relaxed pace and the people in the class were friendly and engaging and many had taken the class for a number of years. In talking with the other students I often heard similar reasons for taking the class. It’s an opportunity to get outdoors and get some exercise, a way to learn about new places and trails locally, and a chance to connect with friends and meet new people. Student participating in the group discussion
The class follows a straight forward format of meeting at the trailhead, walking 5-10 minutes and then stopping to do a short series of warm up exercises and then continuing the walk for another hour. At the midway point there is a short group discussion around a specific topic. Topics are suggested by the class at the beginning of the semester and can include for example: gratitude, forgiveness, dealing with change and listening. The discussion is then followed by a short meditation designed to help one focus on their breath and then focuses on something in the natural environment like the sound of running water or waves, or on the scene in front on oneself.
Hiking often has a way of bringing our awareness to where we are right now in our lives, how we are feeling physically, what has our focus and how we interpret new experiences. As Ms. Chambers pointed out, “People open up when they’re walking. Your emotions are moving when you’re walking.” 
When I visited the class I was looking for the healing element, thinking that it would somehow be the focus and what I learned was the foundation of health is well being. And that well being is actually our natural state and can be realized through something as simple as walking outdoors with a group of friends.
Or as Ms. Chambers put it, “Students feel like they’re doing something good for themselves. That they’re contributing to their welfare by being out there walking. And it’s much easier to walk when you have someone else walking with you.” Monarchs at the Coronado Preserve
If you’re interested in seeing the Monarch Butterflies at the Coronado Preserve the best times to visit are between November and February, on days when it’s sunny and warm as the butterflies are most active.
This article appeared in Section A of the February 3, 2012 Santa Barbara News-Press.
Songs of the Wilderness 
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