“Simply being present in the natural world – with all our senses fully alive – can have a remarkably healing effect. It can also awaken in us our latent but profound connection with all living things.”
- M. Amos Clifford
What is Forest Therapy?
Forest therapy walks are not hikes or a simple wander in the woods. These walks follow a standard sequence.
Each walk begins with establishing embodied contact with the present moment and place. Next come a series of connective invitations, often improvised in the moment and adapted to the needs of participants. These may be followed by wander time and/or sit spot. The walks end with a ceremony of sharing tea made from foraged local plants and snacks.
An entire walk is typically 2 to 4 hours in duration, and often covers no more than a 1/2 mile distance. In that short distance, most people experience contact with nature in a much deeper way than they ever have prior to the walk. On Forest Therapy walks, people have a wide range of experiences, some of which they feel are significant, even profound. Guides are trained in the skills and perspectives needed to be supportive witnesses of these experiences.
Why do I need a guide?
A Forest Therapy Guide facilitates safe gentle walks to help people slow down, and provides instructions—referred to as “invitations”—for sensory opening activities along the way. All Guides have Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder current certification, and assess and map the trail in advance noting things to be aware of. A trained guide also has knowledge of safe plants to use for tea ceremony through research and positive identification.
Having a competent guide with you helps you to fully relax and drop in. The guide will take care of the logistics such as timing of each invitation and where best to allow the activities to unfold. In addition, your guide will confidently hold a safe and sacred space for you, allowing complete freedom of expression and the ease of staying fully present from moment to moment.