Nature Connection and Forest Bathing

I started training as a Nature Connection and Forest Bathing Guide in June 2023 with Sonya from Adore Your Outdoors. I first met Sonya at a mala making workshop in February and as we sat and made malas, we chatted a little. I found out that she worked outdoors as a Nature Connection and Forest Bathing guide and so I had a look on her website. I booked onto a forest bathing event which did not disappoint at all. The calm and peace I gained from being in the woods, in the middle of beautiful trees with a lovely group of people was amazing and the chilled out feeling lasted a few days.

I know that I love being outdoors, noticing what is around me and listening to the birds. Sonya taught me to really listen and take in all that nature has to offer us. This connection we can have with nature brings us an inner calm and enables you to appreciate the beauty around you as you let yourself just ‘be’.   

I signed up for training after looking into it some more, talking to Sonya and reading around the subject of forest bathing. I met the other trainees in June as we started our training. And then we went into a little forest in July to start to learn how to be guides. The week’s training was wonderful and it changed me. It turned out to be such a positive experience - being in nature, learning something amazing and new, switching off from technology, slowing down and being with a group of wonderful, supportive women.

At the start of the week, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and worried that I wouldn’t be able to remember everything. I felt nervous. I was worried about what I needed to say and how I needed to say it. I was out of my comfort zone which is, of course, where learning takes place. I needn’t have worried though because Sonya set up the training in such a way that we were able to build our knowledge and skills gradually over the week. By the final day, we had led a forest bathing session together. This felt like such an achievement – we had grown into fledgling guides over the course of the week.

Now the work begins. I need to find a bit of forest or woodland to take a small group out to do some forest bathing with! There’s lots of really good practical coursework to do which is increasing my knowledge, deepening my connection to nature and preparing me to be a fully-fledged guide. And of course, I could not do this without the support of Sonya and the group I’m training with. We’re called the Acorns and we will grow into mighty oaks together.

I’m looking forward to being able to offer Forest Bathing to groups at the end of the year.