Forest Bathing
Sunday, May 20 | 1pm
Description:
Stress has been called "the health epidemic of the 21st century" by the World Health Organization and seems to worsen or increase the risk of several health conditions. Explore a new way to relieve your daily stresses with a Japanese practice known as Forest Bathing.
Whether you are in nature all the time or are reluctant to walk in the wild alone, on a Shinrin-Yoku Forest Bathing walk you will be skillfully guided into a gentle, enjoyable, full sensory experience of our natural world. Your mind can rest as you sink into invitations that engage your senses, taking in the images, sounds, aromas, breath, touch and wisdom of the forest. Walks are concluded with a tea ceremony of wild, forest plants.
Learn more about Shrinrin-Yoku in this NPR article, "Forest Bathing: A Retreat To Nature Can Boost Immunity And Mood," and then join us to experience it for yourself!
About the Instructor:
Deborah Denome is an educator, horticultural therapist, herbalist and certified forest therapy guide. Since 1997 Deb has served as Director of Shimmering Light Farm & Renewal Center, a non-profit educational organization that explores, models and inspires more conscious and restorative ways of life. Her previous corporate career was in international training and publishing and she was the 2008 Canandaigua Athena Award recipient for her work promoting women in leadership.
Teresa Benoit Keyes is a certified forest therapy guide that has consistently been involved in various preservation and conservation efforts aimed to protect resources and ensure a robust coexistence with the natural world. As a Yoga Alliance RYT-200 certified yoga instructor, Teresa found the healing potential of present-moment awareness was magnified when she brought her practice outdoors. She finds that forest bathing amplifies that energy exponentially, creating a profound experience connecting—or more accurately, reconnecting—one’s body, mind and soul with those more-than-human residents of the woods.