Sand Dune Shadows
Photo: Jeff Johnson
What?
Watch the shadows bisect sand dunes in either the early morning or late afternoon.
Why?
Because they make amazing geometric shapes and patterns. And being outside in the early morning or late evening around sunset trains your circadian rhythm to be healthy.
How to?
Find some sand dunes. Or make your own miniature ones.
Obverve them in the early morning or late afternoon hours.
Notice the contrasting light and dark patterns along with the curvy shapes they make.
Protips:
Avoid midday when the sun is high, it doesn’t make for good shadows. Late afternoon about an hour before sunset (often called “golden hour”) is the best time.
Warning: Never stare at the sun, it can cause irreversible damage to the retina. Duh.
The Rabbit Hole (References for People Who Like to Geek Out)
Huberman, A [@Hubermanlab]. (2020 April 9). “Morning and evening sunlight is especially important and powerful, when it comes to activating the biological circuits that support mental [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-w7GP7nwwk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Huberman, A. (Host). (2021 June 14). The science of vision, eye health & seeing better (No. 24) [Video podcast episode]. In Huberman Lab. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObtW353d5i0&t=1920s Timestamp: 32:00
Patterson, S.S., Kuchenbecker, J.A., Anderson, J.R., Neitz, M., Neitz, J. (2020). A Color Vision Circuit for Non-Image-Forming Vision in the Primate Retina. Current Biology, 30(7), 1269-1274.e2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.01.040
Rivera, A.M., Huberman A.D. (2020). Neuroscience: A Chromatic Retinal Circuit Encodes Sunrise and Sunset for the Brain. Current Biology, 30(7), R316-R318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.090
We’d love to know how you microdose nature!
If you’d like to help expand the diversity of our microdoses (and help create a thriving community of nature junkies in the process), email us at hello@naturejunkielife.com
In your email, briefly describe your favorite nature connection experience, how to do it, and how it makes you feel. The more weird, wise and wonderful the better. Thanks in advance!
