Shinrin Yoku / Nature Therapy

I have yet to work with a client who hasn’t really enjoyed Shinrin Yoku, even though many were skeptical at first!

​

I have designed my Shinrin Yoku sessions for individuals and small groups and it is a wonderfully peaceful and healing therapy for any type of client. I regularly build Shinrin Yoku into personal wellness plans and I have also seen the benefit it has offered those who suffer from stress and anxiety.

​

Shinrin (forest) and Yoku (bath) in Japanese simply means going into the forest or a wooded area to bathe or immerse yourself in the sounds, smells, and sights that are there.

 

Being in nature is our natural habitat - it has only been a few hundred years since our lives primarily revolved around being outdoors for most of our days - our current lifestyles are the complete converse with many hours indoors and even more focussed on screens relying on artificial light. Whilst this is unlikely to change it is up to us to take the time to allow ourselves to rest and relax and nature is one of the best remedies.

​

​

The focus is on teaching you to fully experience forest time - the slowing down of the body and mind and tuning in to our natural senses, the natural connection we have with our environment, and the ability the forest and its contents have to soothe our racing minds and tense bodies.

​

Using specific prompts and by setting intentions, I will help you slow down and reconnect with nature but mostly I guide you to follow what you feel you need – that might be sitting under a tree listening to the forest's own melody or the birds above, it might be taking a nap, or putting your feet in the cool, calming waters of a stream. I am here to give you the space and comfort to slow down as I guide you to reconnect, recharge and relax in nature.

​

Never exceeding 2km and with full freedom to move and explore at your own pace, there are many different exercises, prompts, and intentions that I will use to help you to reconnect with nature.

 

I regularly encourage my clients to pick up a stone before we begin our walk, sit with the stone, and tell it everything that is worrying them, they then leave the stone behind and carry on with our session. Most clients leave their stones in the forest and don't retrieve them, a sign of the impact of the session. 

​

We often end our sessions near to our meeting point and it is always interesting to see how people and their interactions change during their forest bathing experience.

 

Some clients like to end a session with a chat and a few minutes to share what they noticed or felt, whilst others like to leave quietly taking with them their thoughts and feelings, absorbing them in their own private way.

 

Our experience of the forest and nature is deeply personal and I encourage people to take what they need from a session there are no requirements, goals, or specific outcomes.

 

.