About Us
What is forest bathing?
Forest bathing is a slow walk through the forest, where we reawaken and reconnect with our senses, allowing nature to be our guide. We engage in invitations, which are open ended and mindful actions to heighten our senses and become connected to the forest around us. Forest bathing walks are different from hikes or naturalist walks, where the primary goal is exercise or learning names of plants, rather it is a time to engage all of your senses in absorbing the natural world, and a celebration of the sights, sounds, tastes, smell, and feel of the forest. A forest bathing experience is about 0.5 to 1 mile walking, interspersed with periods of relaxing invitations, and restful and contemplative silences as we notice what is in the forest around us.
What are the benefits of forest bathing?
“Nature is a powerful physician” says M. Amos Clifford, founder of the modern practice of forest bathing. The Japanese word for forest bathing is “shinrin-yoku”, and it is a practice that was developed in response to a rapid rise in cancer rates and heart related health problems in Japan in the 1980s. Doctors noted these issues and began prescribing walks in the forest as a method to curb these ailments.
Spending time in nature relieves stress and boosts our immune systems. Trees, bushes, and other flora release something called phytoncides to ward off insects, germs, and fungal infections, etc. When humans are exposed to phytoncides, it stimulates our immune systems. During a forest bathing session, we engage our senses in a deliberate way that helps us release stress.
Please, come and join me, and we can work together to re-establish your connection to the forest.
About me
I am Jonathan Brockman-Hawe, founder of Rainier Coaching and Wellness, LLC and I live in Olympia WA with my wife and daughter. I have a Master’s degree in speech therapy and I am working on my Association of Nature and Forest Therapy certification.
Nature has always had an important role in my life, since playing in the woods and creeks as a child in Lake Tahoe. I’ve become more aware of the special role it plays in my well-being and in my parenting! My daughter and I love fishing, camping, and playing out in nature and I’ve recently introduced her to forest bathing (she loves it!).
I was inspired to become a forest bathing guide after a longtime friend (and forest bathing guide) shared with me some of the invitations she used with her clients to reconnect with nature. The invitations were so simple, and yet seemed to elicit so much out of me, that I was inspired to become a forest therapy guide as well.