FOREST BATHING & NATURE CONNECTION
ABOUT
Learn more about the various teachings, research, and traditions that inform this slow, sensory practice.
Background
Practices of forest bathing, nature connection, and forest therapy draw on a range of cultures, places, and traditions that span centuries. Modern forest bathing originated in Japan in the 1980s in response to a public health crisis sparked by the newly tech-driven economy and increased urbanization. Called “shinrin-yoku” in Japanese, it translates to “taking in the forest atmosphere using your senses.” It’s a therapeutic practice (and therefore sometimes called “forest therapy”) that includes invitations to explore the natural world around you in a way that feels good to you—led by your senses rather than your analytical mind. Rigorous research on forest bathing has demonstrated that time spent in nature has significant positive impacts on health and well-being.
Practice
The aim of forest bathing is to awaken our senses, connect to the present moment, and promote relaxation and calm in a natural setting. It doesn’t need to be in a forest specifically—the same benefits can be derived from spending time in a park, on a beach, in a meadow, to name just a few examples.
On a forest bathing walk, we slow down and use invitations (or prompts) to tap into our senses and notice the world around us. Following each invitation, there’s an opportunity for brief, facilitated group sharing about what we’re noticing. This practice is not prescriptive and is highly adaptable; it is open-ended for each participant to authentically connect with nature—there is no right or wrong way to do it.
Walks are typically 2-3 hours (depending on weather) and don’t cover much ground, perhaps about a mile or so. As this is not hiking, there is no particular destination. Similarly, this is not a naturalist walk; we will not be identifying plants or animals during our time together (but we will be noticing them). It is a wellness and somatic practice that promotes health and connects us more deeply with ourselves, the present moment, and the world around us.
To learn more about what to expect on a walk, please check out the FAQs!
Reciprocity
Golden Hour Journeys practices relational forest bathing, a framework developed by the Association for Nature and Forest Therapy. This means that while we fully recognize the significant benefits that nature offers humans, this is not a one-way, extractive practice. Our forest bathing experiences also honor the benefits that come from relationships that participants form with nature, themselves, community, and the present moment.
As Indigenous scientist and writer Robin Wall Kimmerer explains, “Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world.”
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
BENEFITS
The idea that spending time in nature improves health isn’t new.
Scientific research on the benefits of forest bathing, nature connection, and forest therapy have demonstrated:
Reduced stress levels
Improved mood
Increased relaxation
Enhanced immune functioning
Greater creativity
Participating in forest bathing offers opportunities to reconnect with your senses while experiencing nature in a supportive environment.
For more information, please check out the scientific evidence base.
RESOURCES
Curious about the history, practice, and benefits of forest bathing & nature connection? Check out these helpful articles, books, and other resources.
ARTICLES
“The secret to mindful travel? A walk in the woods,” National Geographic, October 2019.
“Dip your toes into forest bathing,” Johns Hopkins University, June 2024.
“Feeling grumpy or stressed? Try taking a ‘forest bath,’” NPR, August 2024.
BOOKS
Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature by M. Amos Clifford
Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li
The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams
OTHER
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We acknowledge this land as the unceded homeland of the Pocumtuc, Nipmuc, and Nonotuck peoples. The Connecticut River Valley has been home to Indigenous people for thousands of years and their connection to this land is still part of the present and future here. We also honor all those who have and continue to tend this land—both humans and members of the more-than-human world.
We acknowledge this land that long ago pushed up against the bottom of slow-moving glaciers, carving mountains and valleys—like Mt. Tom and the Connecticut River Valley. A valley with soil that for thousands of years supported Indigenous communities including the Nonotuck, Nipmuc, and Pocumtuc. Peoples who made homes among forests of eastern hemlock, birch, eastern white pine, maple, and oak. Sharing creeks and lakes with white-tailed deer, brown bears, beaver, trout, and squirrels. Splitting the summer skies with hawks and butterflies, and thin winter air with great horned owls, falling leaves, and migrating southbound birds. From meadows of goldenrod to the reedy shores of Nashwannuck Pond and the pebble-starred trails of the Metacomet Ridge, we acknowledge this land and its keepers.