Finnish sauna culture is full of colourful expressions that may sound mysterious—or even a little startling—to someone from abroad. Many of these sayings reflect the long-standing Finnish relationship with heat, steam, and the sense of wellbeing that the sauna provides. This article breaks down the meanings and background of common phrases, helping readers from outside […]
I have just been reading a blog post about the beneficial effects of the forest on brain health. When, after a long day at work – tired from my job and weighed down by the news of the world – I pull a woolly hat onto my head, slip rubber boots on my feet, and […]
A refreshing coastal hike highlights nature’s mental health benefits, offering peace, connection, and mindful moments by the Baltic Sea.
In front of me stretches a forest of pillar-like pines. These trees, some of the oldest among them bearing deep grooves and various holes in their thick bark, stand strong and steadfast like ancient guardians. In a Finnish pine forest, there’s a feeling of being at home, with nothing to fear. There’s lots of light, […]
I leap over a ditch from the roadside into the forest. The gentle energy of the trees’ embrace wraps around me in an instant. Although the sound of the road still reaches my ears, an invisible wall—a protective force field—has appeared between me and the mundane human world. On the forest side, with each step, […]
The cleanest air in the world is in Finnish Lapland. It is proven that the world’s cleanest respiratory air is in the Muonio municipality of Western Lapland. In Muonio, there are only 4 microgrammes of particles of under 10 micrometres in a cubic metre, while in the world’s dirtiest city, Nigeria’s Onitsha, there are almost […]
