“ Wellbeing has to start with honesty,” says holistic wellbeing and mind skills coach Erja Järvelä, recalling the pivotal moment she realised the life she lived no longer matched who she was. After 16 years in a large Finnish telecommunications company, she left a secure career behind. It was not an easy choice for a single mother, but intuition guided Erja forward. She moved for a full winter to Pyhätunturi in Finnish Lapland — a place she now calls therapeutic. “I decided I wouldn’t stress about the future. I had no idea what I would do next. Still I sensed that something new would emerge.”
Erja began holistic wellbeing studies abroad, trained as a nature and wellbeing guide and discovered the Finnish wellbeing method Forest Mind – Metsämieli®, which combines the wellbeing effects of nature with mind skills. “Nature fits in everything I do. Even basic mindfulness becomes different when practised outdoors.” Erja now works with companies, groups and private clients in Hanko, the capital region and around Finland. Her outdoor sessions often evoke strong reactions: “People may start crying in a simple sensory exercise, because they haven’t stopped and listened to themselves or birdsong in ages.”
Volunteering is another central part of her life. She has worked for example with youth chats, Deaconess Foundation’s Amigo -program and Red Cross courses addressing loneliness. “It’s always important to stay connected to something meaningful that pays it forward.” Her autobiographical book Hummingbird Medicine grew from her experiences in the Andes and her personal transformation. “It came to me al[1]most as a mental download,” she says. “ I wrote it because I had lived it, and I am hoping to give the reader a beacon of light and tools even for challenging life situations.” Today she divides her time between Hanko, Pyhätunturi and the capital region. “Joy is essen[1]tial. It’s never too late to change direction if your life no longer feels like your own.”
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MIXING NUTS WITH ERJA
erja@mixingnuts.fi
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