Welcome to forest therapy

Sign up for my next walk: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forest-bathing-in-centennial-park-tickets-1039996727207?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=1

Location: Centennial Conservatory in Etobicoke

Time: Saturday October 19th at 10am

Why forest therapy?

I have always been drawn to the forest. As a child, I was free to roam the woods and the roads with my brother and cousins and I can still remember specific rocks and trees we would gather around and play. As an adult, I often seek green spaces, especially when feeling stressed or down. Becoming a forest therapy guide was a very natural progression for me.

I discovered the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) in 2022 and through my training, I solidified what I already knew: the forest can heal.

Also called Shinrin-Yoku for forest bathing, the practice is usually set on a trail but it can also be conducted at a city park. A session will last around 2 hours and participants will most likely wander less than 1/2 a km away which makes it a good activity for those with mobility issues. The focus is to connect you to your senses to deepen your connection to the forest. As a guide, I will read you a series of invitations and invite you to follow what feels good to you. There is no wrong way to engage in forest therapy and it is typical for participants to feel more relaxed during and after the session.

Health benefits

From the ANFT website, one can read the health benefits that have been researched since the 1980s.

“Forest bathing catalyzes increased parasympathetic nervous system activity which prompts rest, conserves energy, and slows down the heart rate while increasing intestinal and gland activity. Forest bathing seems to significantly mitigate the root cause of a multitude of ailments: stress. Excess stress can play a role in headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, and arthritis, among many other ailments.” Ben Page, one of ANFT’s trainers, global advocate for the practice and the author of Healing Trees: A Pocket Guide to Forest Bathing stated the following in a Woo Knew podcast: When the Forest is your therapist: “Trees produce a chemical called phytoncide and when we inhale phytoncides it triggers the production of a special white blood cell called a natural killer (NK) cell in our bodies. NK cells are part of your innate immune system, which means they're not looking for specific diseases, they're looking for cellular growth that is becoming stressed, and they preventatively kill those stress cells, so they never turn into cancer.”

Interested?

I invite you to reach out with your questions or to book a forest therapy session with me. I work primarily at Centennial park, on the West side of Toronto, but I can customize a walk for you or your group based on your location.