Following your instincts – into the woods?

I’ve recently qualified as a Forest Bathing+ Guide. It’s a funny thing really because I never really set out to be a Guide – I just love spending time outdoors and I’m lucky enough to live next door to some beautiful woodland and so was curious to find out what Forest Bathing was. I suppose I could have read some books about it but instead (without doing much research to be honest) I signed up to do a course with the UK’s Forest Bathing Institute https://tfb.institute . Having not really read the small print I was a little surprised to discover that the first part of the course was all about practicing mindfulness and learning how to teach it. Of course that makes complete sense to me now since Forest Bathing is all about really slowing down and tuning into the woodland environment with each of the senses, allowing the delicious cocktail of tree air to work its restorative magic. (At this point I imagine many of you are picturing people in swimming costumes splashing around in wild rivers – it’s a common misconception… Forest Bathing known as “Shinrin Yoko” in Japan (where the practice originated) means “bathing in the forest atmosphere” – think sun bathing but with trees rather than the sun). Once into my training I learned about the marvels of collaborative tree communities, connected and communicating through their roots and intricate fungal mycorrhizal networks; about the health giving compounds that trees give out and the growing body of research evidence that shows that these compounds combined with high levels of oxygen can reduce levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), reduce blood pressure and increase levels of NK cells (the white blood cells which help our immune systems fight off disease). I also experienced first- hand the calming effects of spending time in the forest – our ancestors lived in the woods - they were our homes so it makes sense that that is where our bodies and minds (consciously or unconsciously) feel most at ease.

Whilst I was doing my training people were asking me what I planned to do once I’d completed it – how I was going to incorporate into my Leadership Coaching practice. Good question I thought – I had no idea. All I knew was that I felt drawn to this calming practice (some say that Forest Bathing is now where yoga was 30 years ago) and to the other people involved in it. And that the more I did it and the more practice sessions I ran, the more connected I felt to the woods, to all things green and to myself.

And then out of nowhere a lovely opportunity presented itself. I was invited by a fellow Forest Bathing Guide to join team running day Nature Retreats for Covid weary teams at Darent Valley NHS Trust. The brainchild of Jessie Teggin, Director of the Quadrangle https://thequadrangle.co/ and Dr Jane Stevens Associate Medical Director at DGT, these “Out in the Field Retreats” offer restorative nature based well-being retreats to for NHS workers and were initially funded by Jessies successful Crowdfunder initiative. What a privilege it is to work with such passionate practitioners and to offer some reviving respite to those who, whilst most of us were safely installed behind our laptops in our germ free homes, were in the eye of the storm of the biggest pandemic in the last 50 years.

When I followed my curiosity and the pull towards Forest Bathing Institute I had no idea where it would lead. I just followed a feeling, an instinct. Over the years I realise that I’ve done similar things (I took a job and moved to Edinburgh never having visited the city based on the fact that my best pal had a visited a boyfriend there regularly and had loved it) – and I have to say that while these decisions haven’t been without their sometimes challenging consequences they have invariably yielded amazing experiences of one kind or other.

So next time you feel drawn to something but don’t really know why – why not give it a go – who knows, it may lead to something remarkable.

For more information about the Out in the Field Work of the Quadrangle and Darent Valley NHS Trust https://thequadrangle.co/event/one-day-restorative-retreats-for-nhs-workers/

P.S If you are interested in having a Forest Bathing session as part a corporate event away day or any other sort of event please feel free to drop me a line to arrange a chat.