Forest Bathing, Guided Walks and Workshops
These forest bathing, guided walks and workshops help you connect with others, enjoy nature and let things be easy, even if just for a couple of hours, and learn something new.
Shinrin-yoku
Forest Bathing for your Wellbeing
£20, or £35 with forest bathing travel kit
Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese practice of letting nature into our body through our senses. The literal translation is ‘to bathe in the atmosphere of the forest’. In English, it is known as Forest Bathing.
The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku emerged in the 1980s to help those living in urban areas reduce stress and anxiety. Although traditionally practiced in forests, we know that nature has restorative effects regardless of the environment. Guided sessions offer invitations to experience nature in a way that will bring your personal rhythm into step with the natural world. The practice of immersing yourself in the atmosphere of nature and focusing your senses to connect with nature’s unique characteristics in this way is very different to any other walk or hike. When we are in harmony with nature, our nervous system can reset, we become more mindful, focused, refreshed and restored.
For 40 years we have seen numerous scientific research studies document the psychological and physical benefits of forest bathing including:
- reduced stress and anxiety
- lower blood pressure and heart rate
- improved inflammation
- improved cardiac and pulmonary function
- increased focus
- enhanced mood
- reduced mental and physical pain
Find your Walk
Essex County
- Broaks Wood, Gosfield
- Chalkney Wood, Earls Colne
- High Woods Country Park, Colchester
Suffolk County
- Rendlesham Forest, Woodbridge
- Rowley Wood, Nayland
Find dates and book tickets at AllEvents.
workshops
Workshops offer an in-depth look at how we can adapt to life’s transitions and even become change seekers ourselves.
Personal Desire Paths: When to follow and when to ditch.
£35
**This is a popular workshop.
Desire paths are the paths created by humans (and wildlife) that defy strategically planned walkways. They are typically created to make a journey quicker or easier. Just like with public parks, gardens and wild settings, desire paths exist within our minds. Plans we started yet abandoned, ideas we have and use occasionally, thoughts that continuously enter our minds are all desire paths. And then there are those desire paths that settle. Instead of working within the boundaries someone else sets, we find a way to make it easier, quicker or work better for us and our personal circumstances.
We will learn more about natural and personal desire paths and hopefully answer a few questions like: What are the desire paths that have settled within us? Why have we abandoned some and continue to revisit others? Which ones should we abandon? How can we keep on track with the desire paths that suit us best?
Superpowers. What are they and how can I get one?
£35
Do you ever wonder how some seem to breeze through a situation easily without ever appearing to be stressed, confused or even annoyed? How do they do this? What superpower do they possess that enables them to tackle those situations like a pro?
We’ll uncover the secrets of human superpowers, identify our own and learn how to use them. Participation is necessary so please be prepared to share and engage with others.