Offerings

The forest has gifts to offer us if we slow down and drop in to receive them. Nature and Forest Therapy, often called Forest Bathing, is inspired by the Japanese practice called Shinrin-Yoku. This practice helps us reconnect to our place among all things. In a time when our lives are overwhelming and over stimulating this subtle practice grounds us and brings us to a place of balance and connection.

While immersed in nature we slow down, tune into our senses and allow for deep connection, introspection, reflection and sharing. We cultivate the practice of stillness as we focus our attention within ourselves and the natural environment around us. We don’t travel far and we move slowly as this is all about the journey not the distance covered.

You will be guided by an ANFT Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide who holds the space so that you can completely immerse in the experience with the more-than-human world. The guide offers a series of sensory invitations facilitating explorations in nature. Each participant has a unique experience as each receives the invitations in ways that feel right for them. There is no incorrect way to receive an invitation. As we cultivate connection to the non-human elements in our natural environment, we intuitively connect with ourselves a little deeper.

There is a great deal of evidence-based research that confirms the positive effects of nature on humans. The science is compelling that we experience improved emotional well-being with time spent among the trees. There are documented physical benefits as well such as a boost to our immune system with an increase in natural killer cells (NK Cells), blood pressure lowers, stress hormones balance out, and the parasympathetic nervous system engages supporting the body’s natural healing processes. There is lots of anecdotal evidence that we simply feel more our authentic selves when we connect to nature. It is often said we lose ourselves in nature only to find ourselves in nature.