Did you know that Forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, can help you slow down, practice deep breathing and connect with nature?
This mindfulness practice originated in Japan and has a range of health benefits including reducing stress and anxiety and improving mood – and one of the best ways to experience it is with Mayumi Kataoka, a Certified Forest Therapy Guide, at Lane Cove National Park in Sydney.
Mayu will guide you on a gentle, beautiful riverside fauna walk and help you consciously connect with what’s happening in the forest around you. The essence of this practice lies in actively engaging the five senses – feeling the textures of trees, listening to the rustling leaves, inhaling the fresh forest air, and observing the beauty of nature.
You’ll feel more deeply connected to nature and your own body through thoughtful awareness of your senses responding to the environment.
The 3-hour experience concludes peacefully with Japanese tea and snacks which is inspired by the concept and philosophy of the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony.
This experience is held on Saturdays and Sundays and requires a general level of fitness.