Guests soundbathe in plant song to bring them closer to nature during Heligan’s Wellbeing Week

From early morning goat walks to sunrise yoga and Tai Chi to sound bathing, this July, The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall, UK, has become the venue for a programme of natural wellbeing workshops, activities, talks and sessions.

Heligan – an anagram of the word healing – has created the programme for its Natural Wellbeing week during 3-11 July to leave visitors feeling relaxed, uplifted and restored.

Set in the heart of the gardens, the programme is designed to enable visitors to explore the healing side of Heligan, reset their nature button and boost their wellbeing.

A highlight includes garden plant immersion sound bathing experiences, where guests can physically experience impulses and soundwaves generated by plants – known as plant bioacoustics.

The class is hosted by sound artist Justin Wiggan from Internal Garden – an immersive sound art research performance programme.

Using state-of-the-art technology, Internal Garden detects changes in electrical currents on a plant’s leaf, converting them into musical notes and vibrations which are then relayed to participants through a connected wearable Subpac – a tactile audio system that delivers a physical dimension of sound.

Wiggan says the experience enables guests to hear and feel a new perception of inter-species language.

“The experience has been shown to have a positive impact on health and awareness about the consciousness of nature” comments Laura Chesterfield, head of garden experience at Heligan.

“It’s an innovative way to create more meaningful relationships between people and nature, and just one of the many opportunities we're offering visitors during our Natural Wellbeing week.”

Visitors can also tap into Heligan’s Gardening expertise through a series of workshops; take part in a family singing workshop; join sketching and wildlife photography walks; take guided meditation in the Heligan Jungle; or, for the more adventurous, hone their survival skills.

To access the entire schedule, head to Heligan's official website.