You may be wondering why you would need a guide to take a walk in nature. As with many practices that are enhanced by a guided approach, such as yoga, meditation, prayer, and exercise, a forest therapy guide can enhance the wellness benefits of your nature experience in a number of ways:
Slowing down and tuning in: Many of us live our lives at a hectic pace. We often move through the day so quickly that we don't always notice what is around us. And, when we do slow down there's often a lot of chatter in our heads and distraction. Technology contributes to our fast-paced and distracted lives. A guided forest therapy walk offers an opportunity to unplug, slow down, and bring attention to the experience at hand.
Experience nature in a different way: Whether you are at ease in the outdoors or not, a forest therapy walk offers a sensory-oriented experience that heightens awareness of and connection to nature in ways that are likely to be different from what you have experienced before. Urban Edge’s guide, certified through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, has received extensive training in techniques to enhance your sensory connection to nature, including nature in an urban environment.
Sense of community: A forest therapy walk can be done one-on-one or in a group. Our public walks typically have 3 to 10 participants. In a group walk, you are invited to share your nature connection experience with others in ways that can enhance your experience and awaken a sense of being part of a bigger whole. These days, with online encounters often substituting for in-person engagement, a guided forest therapy walk offers an opportunity to connect with not only the natural world but with the human world as well.
I grow into these mountains like a moss. I am bewitched.... [G]radually my mind has cleared itself, and wind and sun pour through my head.... I am returned to myself. --Peter Matthiessen