Deepening Your Connection To Nature As A Source Of Comfort

A great benefit of choosing a natural burial ground is that it means laying someone to rest in an environment that is beautiful, calming and can help people connect to nature, taking great comfort from their surroundings, in great contrast to many conventional graveyards.

 Bereavement is a part of life that, at some point, touches us all. Where we choose to remember and honour those we love can shape how we experience grief and remembrance in the years that follow.

For some people, traditional graveyards can feel formal or overwhelming during a time of loss, offering few reminders of the natural rhythms of life. 

In contrast, green burial parks provide peaceful spaces where nature continues to grow and change through the seasons, creating opportunities for reflection, connection and remembrance.

One of the reasons many people choose a natural burial in one of our spacious green burial parks is that it enables all who visit to take comfort and strength from exposure to nature that is invariably refreshing in any circumstances.

It makes sense that if nature offers relief from everyday stresses and concerns, the same is true for bereavement, in an even more profound way.

What Is The Evidence That Green Spaces Are Good For You?

The evidence that being in natural settings is good for wellbeing in all its aspects has been highlighted by five years of the People and Nature Survey England, the last of which was published in September 2025.

Among the key findings of the 2025 edition of the report were:

·       91 per cent of adults who had visited a green space in the previous fortnight agreed that it was good for their physical health

·       90 per cent agreed it was good for their mental health

·       85 per cent said being in green spaces made them feel happy

·       62 per cent said it helped them feel part of nature

These findings were all similar to the figures produced in previous years, giving a consistent pattern and conveying in numbers a truth that most people are instinctively aware of: that immersing ourselves in nature is hugely beneficial.

Why Do Many People Dislike Graveyards?

By contrast, graveyards can vary in how green they are. There will be some that are greener than others, especially if they are in more rural settings, whereas some are covered in concrete and located in towns and cities where you can hear the sound of traffic all day long.

Not only do many people dislike and feel uncomfortable in graveyards, but some genuinely fear them, a phobia called coimetrophobia. This can be related to other fears, such as fear of the dark or of ghosts, but sometimes it is simply an uncomfortable environment.

This marks a huge contrast with the benefits for body and mind that people feel when they visit quiet, green spaces.

 As such, it makes sense for many people to choose a place of rest that feels more like a park or a stretch of countryside, rather than a setting they may associate solely with grief and loss.

Indeed, while some of our negative feelings towards traditional cemeteries may be cultural, there can be no doubt that enjoyment of greenery and fresh air is something that is loved all over the world.

How Do People Relate To Nature?

The way people connect with green spaces and nature is deeply personal, and those experiences can vary from person to person. 

Interestingly, 62 per cent of respondents to the People and Nature Survey said they felt part of nature, highlighting that this sense of connection is not universal.

 Part of this may be that, in many Western societies, people are less often encouraged to feel intrinsically connected with nature than in some other cultures (a prime example being that of indigenous Australians). 

In some ways, these sentiments may have been more prominent in pagan times.

However, even if one does not feel immersed to that extent, there can still be a feeling of connection, whether a spiritual sense of being in a beautiful part of the created order, or just a fascination with the fauna and flora and a powerful feeling of life carrying on.

Sometimes, particular aspects of green places are valued as places of calm and healing. For instance, the notion of forests as a place of great refreshment has grown, based on the tradition of ‘forest bathing’ that emerged in Japan.

This is becoming increasingly popular here, but in many ways this is not a totally new idea; it taps into that same love of nature and the benefits that it brings, helping to ease stress, anxiety, disappointment and, of course, grief, replacing them with a sense of peace and refreshment.

It is clear that being in green spaces and feeling connected to nature is good for you and, if you are buried in such a place, your loved ones will enjoy the benefits. The same will apply if you decide to have your loved one laid to rest there.