Why Forest Therapy means so much to me.
I have always been one to gravitate towards the outdoors. I would go hiking and loved going on long walks. But my time spent in nature was always with an agenda and something to do instead of a way to be. When I would go hiking there was always a goal, hike a specific trail, complete a certain distance, get in a good workout, hike the trail everyone says is so beautiful you must do it. Often, at the end of the hike I wouldn’t have been able to tell you one specific thing I saw or moment I was truly present. Yes, it felt good moving my body and simply being outside but I honestly wasn’t feeling the release of stress and I was still struggling with the pressures of keeping up with my life.
Deep down I knew that I didn’t want to keep living my life at the pace society expected me to.
I truly felt the dark cloud of burnout making its way to engulf me in it. Deep down I knew that I didn’t want to keep living my life at the pace society expected me to. I was burdened by productivity and to do lists, ideas of success and always searching for more. My soul was at odds with my life. The one thing I was certain of was that I always felt better when I stepped outside. When I took a moment to let the breeze caress my face, or let the sun shine on my skin, when I listened to the wind blow through the trees — which is one of my favorite sounds, I felt that for that moment life was as it should be, I felt calm, no battle between expectations and my true human instincts.
When I first heard about forest bathing or Forest Therapy I honestly rolled my eyes at it. Forest bathing? Just call it a walk in the woods and I already do that, I thought, I spend so much time in nature and I love hiking. Simply put, I was uneducated about the true lineage of the practice, the meaning of it and actually what it was. I had to take some time to truly look inward and I knew that in reality I wasn’t slowing down or being present. I was onto the next thing on my list while trying to accomplish the first. When I heard about forest bathing I think I knew that it was something that I needed — I just needed to listen to my heart, my body and what it was longing for.
I had to take some small steps first. And literally into my backyard each day. The first thing I did was greet the sun each morning. I would step outside into my back yard barefoot. The support of the earth beneath my feet and the sun on my face each morning began to nourish my body in a way that I had never experienced before. The act of simply stepping outside for a moment with nothing to do other than to be present and greet the day seemed like a small action at first. As time went on I soon realized the immense power this little change made on my overall wellbeing. My eyes absorbing the sunlight first thing in the morning helped sync my circadian rhythm to the day. I felt an undeniable sense of gratitude and grounding first thing in the morning. My foundation for my day was built on that brief moment of connection with nature.
It was hard some days but I always saw a difference in myself the days I did it verse the days I did not. I would sometimes brush my teeth outside or go out when I let my dog out each morning. Anything to make sure I did it and to start to turn it into a habit — a routine. I also created some guidelines for myself, I would not look at my phone or really do anything with my day before I saw the sun and stepped outside. Some days it was a minute or two others it was much longer or turned into a morning walk. It was important for me to honor my body and what it was longing for.
This is now fully a part of me. Even in the cold winter months, I bundle up and step out my backdoor. I remind myself on the cloudy days the sun is always there even if I can’t see it. The light always comes each morning. This practice makes me truly feel human.
Eventually, this routine of grounding each morning allowed more intentionality and slowness into my life. I started leading hiking groups where I would offer moments to pause connect and share with other participants. Moments to hike in silence or with more intention of why we were outside together than simply the miles or destination. I soon discovered relational Forest Therapy and I felt the calling to become a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide and my life has truly been changed for the better.
Forest Therapy brought me back to my childhood and returned me to my true human nature.
This practice showed me it was possible to live the lifestyle my soul, my body, my whole self had been longing for. A way of being where I felt supported, connected and had to the tools to slow down, be present and tap into my sensing body.
My feeling of being an outsider was replaced with a sense of belonging that I never truly had in my life. An awakening that I’m connected to everyone and every living being. Something I had always known but now I truly felt. A deep trust in the love and support of Mother Earth. I saw the world around me with new eyes. A vision I once had as a child but that got clouded as I grew and removed myself from that intrinsic bond I had with the earth.
Connecting with nature is a pillar to my health and wellbeing. I do this in so many different ways but the practice of Forest Therapy is the foundation. Some days I need to pinch myself that I get to guide others in this practice. Intentionally Outdoors Forest Therapy was created from my heart.
My sit spot practice in the woods near my house.
I will offer you this —If you can’t get past the name Forest Therapy just think of this practice as a way to do something you probably did as child, a way to connect with others, to simply be — without any agenda, demands or pressure. A way to allow yourself a moment for yourself.
A way to spend time in nature that is simply about being in nature.
The possibilities are almost endless of what you could experience during a guided Forest Therapy walk— let your curiosity guide you.
This is your permission to be human, or perhaps be a child again, to have no agenda or pressure to do or be anything but yourself. The freedom to be with nature to find your true human nature.
you can find me intentionally outdoors
kindly,
Gwen