Connecting With Nature Certified Forest Bathing Guide Training

Connecting With Nature — Certified Forest Bathing Guide Training

If you have been looking for a certified forest bathing guide training course, you have found it!  You can learn this method in three minutes.  It is a process that combines mindfulness meditation with walking.  Connecting with nature unlocks the natural healing properties of the environment.

Shinrin-yoku is a Japanese term that means taking in the forest atmosphere.  The Japanese did not invent this process (1) but have researched it extensively to find the best way.  They discovered trees in mature forests emit unique healing compounds known as phytoncides.  It’s now the cornerstone of preventative health in Japan.

Pine forests are beneficial.  Pine, spruce, and fir trees produce terpenes, which give them their unique, distinctive scent.  These trees provide several positive health benefits.

Phytoncides have antibacterial and antifungal qualities, which help plants fight disease and can do the same for our immune systems.  When we breathe in these natural substances, our immune system responds by increasing white blood cells called natural killer cells.  These cells attack and kill tumors and abnormal cells.  (2)

Connecting with Nature

your forest bathing guide course connecting with nature

We know these organic compounds boost our immune system.  (3) Spending time in the woods allows access to these natural immune system enhancers.  The process involves walking slowly in the woods.  People around the world use this technique.

This certified forest bathing guide training will give you the practical tools to learn and teach others.  (4)  Even if you are not near a pine forest, researchers find many other types of trees also emit similar phytoncides.  Mixed woodlands with deciduous trees and bushes are places many people find peaceful.

No matter where you practice this technique, the effects last long after the exercise.  It’s an effective way to connect with the healing power of the environment.  We forget we are part of nature, and the research about this technique as therapy is spreading throughout the world.

As we mentioned, the ideal place is the wilderness, a natural forest untouched by man.  But you can practice it anywhere, even indoors.  Connecting with nature is refreshing; all we need to do is be mindful of what surrounds us.

“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” ― John Muir

Certified Forest Bathing Guide Training

You can use this process anywhere, even if you are indoors.  Most people live in cities made of asphalt, steel, and concrete.  As a result, our modern life isolates us from our connection with the earth.  So, we can learn the process and then take it outdoors.  Simple as that.  It’s a simple two-step process.

1) Learn both the seated and moving forms of mindfulness meditation because these core methods reach the proper state of awareness.  These are simple but effective ways to reduce stress.  They help calm the internal dialogue and allow us to focus outward.  You can use this process anywhere, anytime.  So, follow the links and learn the mindfulness methods.  Then, you will be ready to use it outdoors.

2) Use mindfulness meditation techniques, either walking or sitting in nature.  So, you can learn the mindfulness technique first.  Then, take it outdoors when you have the opportunity.  If you can’t go outside, sit or lie down and project your awareness using your imagination into your favorite beautiful landscape.  It is the core of the Shamanic Journey.

The method is easy to understand and natural.  Here is an overview.  Start by sitting comfortably and closing your eyes.  Focus your attention on your body, your posture, and your breathing.  Once you reach a calm space in your mind where the internal dialogue stops, open your eyes and include your surroundings in your awareness.  That’s it.

Why do we need this technique?  Connecting with nature boosts our immune system, which makes us less susceptible to illness and disease.   For that reason, it’s become a way to boost our immune systems.  It helps us regain a vital connection to nature, which is essential for our health and well-being.

Benefits of this Forest Bathing Guide Course

Research shows that periods as short as just five minutes have a positive effect on our attitude and immune system, which lasts throughout the day.  So, even if you have little free time, try to get outdoors for a few minutes.  Here is a list of the benefits.

  • Immune system enhancement lowers blood pressure and cortisol levels.
  • Reduced levels of stress.
  • Clarify thinking and reasoning.
  • Increase in creativity.
  • It increases empathy for others and the environment.
  • Peace of mind.
  • Time to contemplate.
  • Solitude helps us connect with our intuition.

“My religion is nature. That’s what arouses those feelings of wonder and mysticism and gratitude in me.”  ― Oliver Sacks

Get the Most out of this Forest Bathing Guide Course

Research Scientists in Japan and South Korea found the best time and place to practice depends on the tree’s diversity, the time of year, and your health.  However, you can get peace of mind in just a few minutes.  As a result, the best technique contains two key elements—the proper state of mind and the optimal environment.

First, it is helpful to find a mature forest.  If this isn’t possible, you can use a natural space or garden and look for mature trees.  Mature trees are more likely to have more phytoncides.  Then, you need to spend the proper time, ten minutes or more at a time, with a weekly goal of 2 hours.  Strolling around various trees enables us to gain exposure to the most phytoncides.

Running through the forest doesn’t work.  It doesn’t give you enough time to absorb the essential elements.  Also, researchers found that focusing on breathing, the body, and the environment helps us absorb these elements.  One of the most important tips is to slow down, watch and listen.  Listen to both nature and your body.

Take your time.  You need to spend enough time in one place to absorb the compounds.  These observations provide guidelines on the best practices to get the best results, where the second part of the process comes in.

“You can derive everything that is healthy for yourself in the woods.” — Vanessa Carlton

Remember, Mindfulness Meditation is at the core of this technique.  Research shows that combining these two processes gives us the maximum benefit.  Mindfulness enables us to focus our attention outward.  It makes us aware of our bodies and our surroundings.

Being mindful helps us to find the right place to practice.  Listen to your intuition.   If something catches your attention, pay attention.  Look, listen, and feel your surroundings.  If you feel inclined to sit and meditate, then do so.  You might be inclined to stand barefoot.

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.  The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other; who has retained the spirit of infancy, even into the era of adulthood. His intercourse with heaven and earth becomes part of his daily food. In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows…” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature and Walking

This process is a form of walking contemplation with an awareness of our surroundings and bodies.  So, keep this separate from other activities.  One forest bathing tip that will ensure you get the most from this practice is not bringing your children or walking your dog.  These are distractions; it’s not a time for conversation, nor is it time for aerobic exercise.  So refrain from checking your steps on your smartwatch or step tracker.

The ideal place is an old-growth forest with various native trees and bushes.  A park is the next best thing if you cannot find an unspoiled forest.  If you cannot go outdoors, use the seated method and visualize your favorite landscape because mindfulness meditation has benefits of its own.

This certified forest bathing guide training is easy to learn.  It combines mindfulness meditation and walking in nature.  There are some other interesting variations of this method.  Once you are comfortable with this technique, try Tree Ground and Earthing.  You will learn to be grounded and centered anywhere.

You will feel the positive effects of this method immediately.  We hold our learning sessions in or near a forest whenever possible.  That way, people can take their new awareness for a test drive in nature.   Try it yourself and see.

This process isn’t new; people have been walking in the wilderness for eons.  Many stories about Sages and Avatars talk about connecting with nature as a doorway to enlightenment.  There are stories of Sages, like Buddha, who found enlightenment sitting under a tree.  Jesus had his greatest spiritual journey in the wilderness.

Mystics and scientists agree that walking in the forest will positively affect your health.  Walking barefoot on the earth is also beneficial.   Barefoot walking is perhaps better on clay or sandy soil.  The wilderness or forest has more obstacles.  So be careful where you step.

“And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” — Kahlil Gibran

This certified forest bathing guide training will give you additional health and wellness tools.  It’s an excellent way to use the basic moving mindfulness technique.  Using this process in nature adds another element with health benefits.  This process will help you rediscover the wonder of our environment.  You may even become one of the nature lovers, along with millions of others.

“In nature, nothing is perfect, and everything is perfect.  Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” — Alice Walker

References

(1) Shinrin-Yoku (Forest-Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review.

(2) Immerse Yourself in a Forest for Better Health

(3) Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function

(4) Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and well-being