Forest Bathing
Thursday 5th December 2024, 10am to 12.15pm. Forest Bathing is a practice that supports health and wellness through guided immersion in forests, woodlands, mountains, seashore, and other natural environments to promote the wellbeing of both people and the land.
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Forest Bathing
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CANCELLED. Unfortunately the guide is unable to take this session now. We are working to find other dates.
Thursday 5th December 2024, 10am to 12.15pm.
Following the success of our summer sessions, forest bathing will continue! Forest bathing is a practice that supports health and wellness through guided immersion in forests, woodlands, mountains, seashore, and other natural environments to promote the wellbeing of both people and the land.
Lecturer and psychologist Stephen Pack will guide you through a sequence of ‘invitations’ that welcome you to slow your mind and body, and to connect with nature using your senses. A typical forest bathing experience also incorporates a sharing circle – a circle presents opportunity for participants to share what they are noticing, and to be listened to, free of judgement – sometimes people share through the spoken word, through movement, through silence.
Forest bathing is about spending gentle time with nature to allow your mind, and body, space to breathe. During the forest bathing ‘walk’ you may travel perhaps no more than 500 metres, over approximately 2 hours. Each person’s experiences of forest bathing will be different and there are no expectations on you.
Dates
There will be four sessions run monthly from Thursday 5th September, 10am to 12.15pm. Please see the full list of sessions below:
Please note you do not have to attend every session but you are welcome to should you wish. We do ask that you book a place for each session you would like to attend – see the links above for full details of each session and to book your place.
Venue
We will meet at the University of Hertfordshire Bayfordbury campus car park. It is approximately 15 minutes walk from the car park to the Pinetum, the ground surfaces are stony, grass, level, and there is an incline.
What to bring
- Something to sit on e.g. a mat/rug, folding stool
- Clothing appropriate for the weather
- Drink and snack
- Routine medications
- Carry-bag for above items
Your guide
Stephen Pack is a Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is also a BPS Chartered Psychologist, and HCPC registered practitioner psychologist. Following some significant soul-searching he has rediscovered his desire and need to be outdoors; and following the ‘chance’ discovery of forest-bathing five years ago he has since begun a ‘pilgrimage’ to return to the wild.
He does forest bathing himself almost every day, often with his beloved dog, and it is now his go-to activity to help his overall health and wellbeing. He looks forward to being able to share forest bathing with you soon.
