Last week, I devoted this column space to the traditional Scandinavian concept of friluftsliv, which promotes outdoor recreation to provide positive benefits for both the land and healthy people who enjoy recreating there. Friluftsliv stresses the importance of combining a variety of natural elements into every outing in an effort to create a well-rounded outdoor experience.

The concept of friluftsliv encompasses a wide variety of skills development programs and initiatives that can be used to improve the individual’s personal, mental and physical health. It can be accelerated by traveling and exploring in a variety of wild settings.

Many believe the Norwegian ideal in which a “free air life” has the potential to reconnect the current “wired generation” to the outdoors.

We continue to take to the woods and wild places because we are seeking a piece of our past. It is the result of our physical and emotional desires to rediscover a small, yet important primitive piece of our being that’s deeply seated in the human character.

While some may deny such compulsions, all we really need is a little taste of the wild to remind us that we retain an indelible connection to the earth. The small spark is a memory from our past and it’s the reason outdoor recreation continues to provides us with the re-creation of our spirit, soul and overall health.

When we travel to the wild places, we are in essence traveling back in time. We go to recreate a variety of events and activities that we enjoyed in our youth. We take a step back in our efforts to move forward, and in the process we reconnect with the lands and the deep-seated desire to be wild once again. Friluftsliv is the concept of rewilding the human spirit, by fostering personal reconnections with the earth.

With this new reality, I’ve been able to sink my teeth into a variety of outdoor activities that have allowed me to accelerate a personal rewilding process. Despite all the days I’ve spent exploring and appreciating nature over the years, I continue to uncover new and unique ways to look at the same old scene. Whether the new view comes from under the waters or while nestled in the limbs of a soaring white pine, each new perspective rekindles an old, yet exciting spirit of adventure in my mind.

I believe it is up to each individual to discover their own personal piece of the Park, and uncover the unique outdoor pleasures that may be found there.

In this regard, I may have actually stumbled upon an answer. My most recent friluftsliv discovery occurred on the high banks of the West Branch of the AuSable River, less than a mile downstream from the ski jumps. I watched as my old friend, Bob Hudak and his partner Helene Gibbons led a unique yoga adventure.

Bob is a lifelong recreation professional, a licensed flyfishing guide and a respected outdoor educator. Helene has a solid background in yoga, including more than 1,500 hours as a certified teacher trainer. She has also been a wellness educator for more than two decades. Their unique project was developed to take advantage of their combined skills and talents.

These two have been able to develop an exciting new outdoor yoga experience for families, couples and individuals who are interested in sharing the benefits of outdoor yoga, and the soothing, yet active pursuit of “river walking.”

River walking is a natural extension of Bob’s love of being in the flow, enjoying the gentle rhythms of the river, and Helene’s passionate pursuit of yoga. Rather than provide a straight up, traditional yoga experience that’s typically offered indoors, Riverwalker Yoga choses to utilize the natural world as a studio.

It is provided in a place and at a pace where each individual can find their our own inner quietness. Yoga teaches us how to balance our attention, our awareness between our inner sensations and the stimuli of the outer world. This balance is often more evident in the outdoors, among the marvelous learning ground of a natural setting.

Because we so often get caught up in everyday tasks and actions, we can lose contact with the sustenance and energy that nature and the outside world provides. The river teaches us to flow without resistance, and we learn to adapt and move on. The trees teach us to adapt to our elements. They teach us resilience.

Nature is always in the moment, and ever changing. Such mindfulness practices are integrated into all Riverwalker Yoga programs. It is intended to cultivate a sense of wonder while recalibrating the system.

The concept of providing outdoor yoga, combined with riverwalking and mindfulness in nature is a totally new take on the age old pursuit of taking to to the wilds for rest, relaxation and restoration of both body and soul.

For further information and reservations, call 518-637-2963 or email at adkriverwalkingmindfully@gmail.com.