Finnish-style beach saunas, herbal remedy workshops and wellness retreats among events during National Park’s Mindful Month

Initiatives include a pop-up beach sauna, dip-in-the-sea sessions and herbal remedy workshops.

The National Park’s annual Mindful Month has a programme of events, some of which are free, aimed at encouraging people to seek out the myriad ways they can pause everyday life, rejuvenate their spirits and fire up their senses ahead of winter, including discovering how simply being ‘in the moment’ in nature can have a therapeutic benefit.

New events this year include hour-long sessions run by Whitby Wellbeing where guests intersperse sitting in a Finnish-style wood-fired pop-up sauna at beaches like Saltburn and Whitby with cooling dips in the sea, tapping into the physical and relaxation benefits that arise from the contrast in temperatures.

Just inland from the coast near Whitby, Yoga and Spice will be running aerial yoga sessions and a Women’s Wellness Day Retreat where specialist Lorraine Clissold will share gentle restorative exercises and provide a wealth of food and lifestyle advice, including how to balance different ingredients at each mealtime to optimise gut health.

Those keen to benefit from a more spiritual experience can stay at High Dalby House which is registered with the Quiet Garden Movement. Here guests can seek out peace and tranquillity in the Hermitage where there’s a chapel, a labyrinth to walk, sauna and hot tub as well as plenty of seating areas within the six acres of grounds to enjoy a period of reflection.

The ever-popular mindful walking sessions which let nature’s sounds, smells, sights and textures work their magic on people’s senses, are joined this year by one of the National Park’s Breath of Fresh Air guided walks in the company of Buddhist nun Ani Tselha who will lead a group through hay meadows and along quiet woodland paths.

Alternatively Yorkshire Coast Nature and Adventures for the Soul have joined forces with Gumboots & Wellingtons at Ellerburn near Dalby Forest to hold a Twilight Nature Sounds Safari where people can tune-in to the sounds of wildlife as night falls.

Over at Helmsley Walled Garden, qualified herbal medicine practitioner Meghan Rhodes will use a day-long session to delve into the fascinating ways that humble herbs can be used as powerful remedies.

Visitors can also experience the soothing switch-off effect that comes with being totally immersed in an art project by joining workshops on botanical illustration, garden photography, painting with acrylics or woodland watercolours.

There’s the calming impact of simply admiring art too. At Danby Lodge’s Inspired by… gallery, the work of local photographers Joe Cornish and Simon Baxter is on display. For both, trees have been a source of meditation and tranquillity and their images convey this in the exhibition entitled A Woodland Sanctuary.

Emily Watson, the North York Moors National Park’s visitor development and marketing assistant said: “Whether it’s strolling on a beach, walking in woods or sitting on a bench overlooking a fantastic view, there’s now more evidence that spending time in nature is good for our mental health and wellbeing.

“As this year is proving challenging for many, Mindful Month has even more relevance as a way of showcasing how the National Park’s beauty can act as a springboard for better health.”