Where I live in Italy, there’s wild garlic in the fields right now—earthy, pungent, alive. I’m kneeling in the damp grass, fingers brushing green blades, and for these moments, I’m not a brain on a screen. I’m in a body in the world. This is the basis of embodiment. Neuroscientifically, it’s called sensory grounding (touch, smell, movement). This shifts us out of hypercognitive mode—that frazzled state where we mistake ourselves for thinking machines. Studies show even brief nature exposure lowers cortisol, while tactile engagement (like foraging) reactivates the vagus nerve, dialing down stress. My new book, Embody: The Power of Presence in an
It’s time to forage
