Forest bathing
Forest bathing is much more than taking a walk in nature. It means to relax, be present, open your senses and experience nature in all its beauty and liveliness.
“And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul”
John Muir
During a forest bath you will slow down, listen to the rustling leaves and singing birds. You will feel the wind on your skin and look at the endless variety of colors and shapes that nature presents. From a spectator, you will become more of a participant to this wonderful life. Your mind will meander in a pleasant way as new insights and creative solutions float to the surface. After a forest bath you return home refreshed and rested.
Scientific research since the 1980s has measured the health benefits of forest bathing. Forest baths have shown to lower stress hormones in the blood, boost the immune system and improve your sleep.
“Tell me, what is it you plan
to do with your one
wild and precious life?”From The Summer Day by Mary Oliver
The Summer Day
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?
by Mary Oliver
A forest bath is tailored to the personal wishes of the participant.
Duration: 1.5 hours
In and around Amsterdam: Amsterdamse Bos, Dr. Jack. P. Thijssepark, Vliegenbos
Bergen aan Zee
Spanderswoud