About Me

I was born in Gainesville, Florida, and spent much of my childhood in rural North Florida at my family’s lake property in Suwannee County. By around age 10, I was spending most of my time there, growing up as an only child in a quiet natural environment that shaped a strong sense of imagination, independence, and curiosity through long immersion in forests, water, and open land.

After graduating high school, I pursued an early ambition to travel. I took a Greyhound bus through the mountains of Tennessee, continued across the United States to Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, and later flew to Hawaii for several weeks. This period of travel expanded my perspective before returning home by the beginning of fall that same year.

Upon returning home and beginning college, I eventually met members of the Hare Krishna community and became deeply engaged in the tradition. I formally joined, dedicating myself to its philosophy for a period of time and living in the temple for a short stay. I remained involved in the Alachua community for several years, regularly attending early morning aarti at 4 AM and participating in seva, including serving Krishna lunch on the Santa Fe College campus. During this time, I also regularly attended morning Śrīmad Bhāgavatam classes given by devotees at the ISKCON temple, as well as lectures at the Temple of the Universe given by Michael “Micky” Singer. Over time, I ultimately took shelter of the Hare Krishna philosophy as presented by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, following guidance from my vartma-pradarśaka-guru (path-giving) and śikṣā (instructing) guru, His Grace Mahananda Prabhu.

My time in Alachua also led to the name “Noah Bodhi,” which originated as a joke and playful reinterpretation of “Nobody,” but gradually stuck and became part of how I was known in that community.

I later pursued criminology at the University of Florida, graduating in 2024. My undergraduate capstone research focused on the initiation of cigarette smoking among inner-city youth, based on first-hand statistical analysis (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/380373628_Experimental_Smoking_in_Youth_A_Covert_Pathway_to_Future_Criminal_Behavior_and_a_Threat_to_Community_Safety). The study found that earlier smoking initiation was associated with significantly earlier arrest histories compared to peers who delayed or did not initiate smoking. While academically meaningful, the findings led me to critically reflect on systemic cycles of disadvantage and the limitations of traditional criminological frameworks.

Following graduation, I shifted my focus toward research psychology at Keiser University, where I was introduced to environmental psychology, forest bathing (shinrin-yoku), and the physiological and cognitive effects of nature exposure. This transition significantly reshaped my direction of interest toward nature-based well-being, attention regulation, and restorative environmental design.

In 2023, I returned to live full-time on my land in Suwannee County near the Ichetucknee River region. The property includes an 8-acre spring-fed lake surrounded by mature juniper and mixed evergreen forests, serving as both a personal and observational environment for immersive study of nature exposure and restoration.

Building on the integration of academic training and lived experience, I founded the Ichetucknee Yoga Club and Nature Retreat, offering structured opportunities for urban visitors to experience half-day, full-day, or overnight immersion in nature as a restorative and reflective practice.

My Research

I am currently engaged in research in environmental psychology focused on forest bathing (shinrin-yoku), nature exposure, and the effects of phytoncides on human cognition, attention, and overall well-being. My work examines how time spent in forested and natural environments can influence stress regulation, mood stabilization, and sensory processing, with particular interest in how these mechanisms may relate to ADHD and autism. I am especially interested in how natural settings may support attention restoration and nervous system regulation through both psychological and physiological pathways.

A significant part of my work is grounded in hands-on, place-based observation and experiential study at my private land near the Ichetucknee River in North Florida. The property includes an approximately 8-acre spring-fed lake surrounded by mature juniper and mixed evergreen forests. This ecosystem provides a consistent, immersive natural environment that I use as a living setting for observing patterns of restoration, attentional shift, and stress recovery associated with extended time in nature.

The land itself is characterized by quiet, minimally disturbed forest ecology, with dense canopy cover, filtered light, and air rich in natural plant compounds associated with phytoncide exposure. Its proximity to the Ichetucknee River system and surrounding springs places it within a broader ecological corridor known for clear water systems, biodiversity, and stable microclimates. I am interested in how these specific environmental qualities may contribute to measurable psychological effects in visitors and participants engaging in structured or unstructured nature immersion.

Methodologically, I draw on interdisciplinary approaches spanning environmental psychology, neuroscience-informed behavioral observation, and ecological context analysis. I am particularly interested in integrating subjective experiential reports with emerging research on autonomic nervous system regulation, attention restoration theory, and the psychophysiological effects of forest environments. My goal is to better understand how natural spaces can be intentionally used to support cognitive functioning, emotional regulation, and neurodivergent experiences in everyday life and therapeutic contexts.