Nature therapy is a practice that connects us to nature mindfully through our senses and feelings. It extends the scope of forest therapy to other landscapes or natural settings, such as beaches, wetlands, urban parks, botanical gardens etc.
The concept of forest therapy originated from ancient practices of forest healing in many cultures. However, it was in Japan where the term shinrin yoku (森林浴), literally translated as forest bathing, was coined and promoted by the government since the 1980s. It has since been widely adopted as a preventive health care practice.
Wilderites founder Yaki is trained and certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) Guides and Programs. The ANFT approach to nature therapy is culturally neutral, starting with guided meditations to slow down and open the senses, followed by relaxing walks and invitations (guided activities) to deeply connect with your surroundings. Circle sharing is used in between invitations to help connect participants with each other in a safe, mutually-supportive environment.
The nature therapy walks we offer are suitable for everyone.
Scientific research, initially by Japanese researchers and increasingly by researchers globally, has demonstrated numerous health benefits by just spending time in nature in a relaxed way. Some of these benefits include:
Boosted immune system, including an increase in Natural Killer (NK) cells that target cancers
Reduced stress
Increased ability to focus
Better mood and quality of sleep
More details about these and other research can be found here.