Designing A Nature-Inspired Practice
Bringing nature into your day-to-day business processes and thinking
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I attended a fascinating event hosted by Fast Forward earlier this week on the opportunities for a nature-inspired future of business, which in turn inspired me to write today’s article and share some new ideas, insights and concepts with you on how to integrate nature into your business practices and processes. As I’m building Circe I often come back to the question ‘what if nature wrote our strategy’? Given the state of our planet, we need to rethink how we’re creating regenerative businesses for a sustainable future, and this includes our healthcare systems too!
And with your work as complementary healthcare practitioner centred around nature’s medicine and the body’s natural state of healing, you know that being human means being part of the natural world. We are nature. On Instagram we discussed the ancient Daoist philosophy of wu wei last week, and how can you bring this into your practice. Wu wei refers to the pursuit of action in harmony with the natural flow of the situation. It’s an antidote to our society’s addiction to constant action. It might translate into a balance of effortless, spontaneous action while allowing things to unfold organically, without coercive control. One acupuncturist reached out to me a few weeks ago to ask for any connections that might help him find a new treatment room. And while he was actively searching for a new place to practice from, he also said ‘I’m sure something will come up by the time I need it.’ Trusting the natural flow of the situation.
We can build on this embracing of natural flow by including concepts of biomimicry, circular economy and regenerative being. How can you allow nature’s ways and designs to flow through your practice and reflected in your business practices too?
So this week brings you some food for thought and an exercise to reflect on. I’d love to hear about your ideas and experiences too - add them in the comments or send them my way in a reply!
Natural flow in business. When you think of the business-side of your practice and how it’s going - how do you feel? Can you let go of the need of coercive controlling, and allow for it to unfold naturally alongside your inspired action? Go where the energy flows. To quote brilliant circular economist Kate Raworth: “Don’t waste time knocking on shut doors: work with the change makers who are already in action, because there are plenty of them.”
A systems-based approach. Whether you’re a solo practitioner or work as part of an integrative team or wider clinic, what is your place in the systems you’re part of? And how can you foster cooperation with the people around you in your systems? Perhaps you’re part of a peer support community or active in online groups with other practitioners. How can you bring more active collaboration into these spaces? Are there natural systems you can mimic here? And expanding your view, consider your practice’s local community too. How do you foster collaboration with neighbours and the people in your community who might not have stepped into your treatment room?
Designing your practice for all beings. In essence this principle goes beyond just us human beings to include all beings. But even within your practice working with (human) clients, we can look through the lens of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. How is your practice designed to include and encourage full participation from people who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination on the basis of identity or disability? What toolkit do you have to design your practice for all beings, and how may you expand on this?
Life supporting. This framework starts with us being in right relationships with ourselves and the world around us. And it brings us to the topic of sustainability and regeneration. How can you not just reuse and recycle in your treatment spaces, but move to work in regenerative ways? In a regenerative culture, we weave all that we have back into the life that supports us.
Beyond our own time. Looking beyond just our own lived experience, how can we honour our elders and cultivate an awareness of how we effect the world around us beyond our years? And also considering the spaces you treat in, what are their histories and the energetic stories they communicate? Including time and space, by looking at Britain’s ley lines and the earth’s chakras too.
Find ways for yourself to pay attention to natural and seasonal shifts in your business. As we move into autumn, the months of letting go as we move away from summer’s bright light and intense action. How can you create a moment of reflection, to re-asses how you’re going about your practice, your treatments, your professional development? What can you let go of or change?