It's time to go bathing - Forest Bathing
Hello, My name is Margaret, and I am a certified Forest Therapy Guide. I take people into nature in a slow and mindful way to foster connection, relaxation and mindfulness. We walk and observe. And are often awestruck! In western cultures like ours, we are good at get-up-and-go, bag that peak, count your steps and name that plant. In an Awestruck Nature Experience, our focus moves both inward --to our bodies, and breath and heart-- and also externally to the beauty of the natural world. Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese term for the practice of Forest Bathing. In the 1980's, doctors in Japan were observing many negative health outcomes as many workers were leaving their rural environments to go the cities for work. Doctors started prescribing "forest baths" as a way to reconnect to our natural world. Awestruck Nature Experiences is my way of supporting our connection with nature. Shall we stroll together?