“sitting quietly and enjoying a campfire can even decrease your blood pressure”
There’s something ancient and instinctive about staring into a fire. The natural light hypnotizes and calms, the flames dancing in a never-repeated pattern. The heat and the smell of burning wood prompt distant memories passed down over generations. The warm glow of the flames and embers and the crackle and pop of burning wood is all the accompaniment you need to kindle or rekindle relationships with those who matter most.
For humankind, learning how to control fire lead to giant leaps in our evolution as a species. Charles Darwin himself considered man’s harnessing of fire to be one of the two most important achievements in human history (the other being the development of language). Fire gave us the ability to bring light and heat to cold, dark nights; allowed us to cook food and protect ourselves from predators; and provided us a place, as a people, to gather, share stories, and connect.
Even today, in a world choked with electronic devices and synthetic experiences, fireplaces, campfires, and fire pits remain the subject of wonder and excitement for children and adults alike and natural places for friends and family to socialize. Some of our deepest, most honest and meaningful connections take place away from the pervasive blue glow of screens, and the thump and buzz of electronically amplified noise. Whether you enjoy a warm, crackling fire in your backyard, a campsite, or by the lake; the pressures of life always seem to melt away.
The Health Benefits of Fire
Firelight also benefits our health, to which anyone who’s experienced a sound night’s sleep after sitting around a campfire or fire pit can attest. As the detrimental effects of artificial light become more widely recognized and understood—over-exposure to artificial light sources, particularly at night, can cause numerous negative effects, including disruption to our circadian rhythm (the body’s internal clock), difficulty falling asleep and poorer sleep quality, and more—the health benefits of natural light are being rediscovered.
Firelight is natural, and it consequently has less impact on your circadian rhythm and your sleep habits, making it better for your mental and physical health. In fact, sitting quietly and enjoying a campfire can even decrease your blood pressure, as evidenced by a 2014 study from the University of Alabama.
Solo Stove Fire Pits
Solo Stove’s fire pits provide the perfect opportunity for reconnecting with your innate love of fire while you connect with the important people in your life. Available in three sizes, and ingeniously designed to burn more efficiently and with less smelly smoke than campfires or competing fire pits, the Solo Stove Ranger, Bonfire and Yukon let you, your friends, and your family harness your inner fire-wielding caveman… without having to smell like one.
