~Forest Bathing ~Forest Therapy ~Nature Therapy ~Shinrin-Yoku

Forest Bathing is the rough English translation for ‘Shinrin-Yoku’, a Japanese practice loosely based around ancient Shinto and Buddhist traditions of full sensory – seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, balancing and tasting – immersion in the beauty and awe of nature and trees. In the US this practice is also referred to as forest therapy or nature therapy. Numerous studies have shown that mindfully being in nature produces a measurable reduction in stress hormones, boosts immunity, reduces blood pressure and blood sugar, and improves mood and cognition.

Forest bathing is a slow walk in the forest or nature where enough time is given to relax into and immerse in the present moment. No exceptional skill or physical exertion is required. It is an open ended experience that brings people into a deeper relationship with natural spaces through a series of invitations. Invitations are directed at individual senses, and you spend 10-20 minutes fully present in that one sense. A typical outing lasts 2-3 hours and usually covers under a mile of walking. Opportunities to stand, sit or even lie down present themselves. There is no right or wrong way to forest bathe, there is no prescription for what you should experience or receive and each walk is different from any other.

It brings me great joy to share forest bathing, this practice of slowing down and re-connecting to the rhythms of nature, with you. I have always felt calm and centered – yet with my spirits soaring high – while out among the trees.

I guide forest bathing in the Midpeninsula Open Space Preserves of the Santa Cruz mountains, the parks of Silicon Valley and along the SF bay shoreline, as well as host introductory sessions on the app MasterHealth. I invite you to join me in forest bathing, relax, awaken all your senses to the natural world and immerse in the moment. Let’s go bathe in the forest.

~ madeleine

madabouttheforest@gmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/madabouttheforest/