Alderroot Healing & Renewal
Now Booking: Forest Bathing Camp & Spring Small Group Coaching
Forest Therapy Walks
A delightful 2 hour guided experience that will leave you feeling
mindful, grounded, and refreshed.
What is a Forest Therapy (or Forest Bathing) walk?
Our 2 hour forest therapy walks take place in forests near Portland Oregon. Each session includes invitations to:
-
intentionally connect to your senses (a great antidote to anxiety)
-
walk slowly and mindfully, taking time to really notice Life
-
experience wonder and awe
-
enhance your sense of presence, embodiment, and mindfulness
-
sit in the forest, enjoying contemplative time to just be
-
connect to other nature beings in a deeply personal way
-
share your experience with other participants
-
enjoy tea ceremony with snacks (we'll drink tea together made from local plants)
​
Research has shown that forest therapy/forest bathing offers you:
-
nervous system regulation and calm
-
rest
-
boosted immunity
-
a reduction in anxiety, depression, and stress
-
improved cognitive function
-
better sleep
-
access to curiosity, playfulness, and spaciousness
-
a calm anchor in difficult times
-
connection to spirit by sparking imagination, creativity, and a sense of belonging
​
​The healing effects of forest therapy will support and nourish you. Be guided into your body and senses and into beautiful relationship with the more than human world, while also having the opportunity to share the experience in connection with a small group of other humans. Sessions are limited to a small number of participants so that we may connect with one another in meaningful ways.
​
"I was reluctant and anxious this morning but what I discovered is that all I needed to do was show up. What I needed was to breathe and listen with this forest community. I have been calmed and humbled by our time together today."
-Chris
Sign up for a Walk
Tuesday, June 10 7:00-9:00pm Full moon walk at Leach Botanical Gardens
Saturday, August 2 9:30-11:30am at Leach Botanical Gardens
​
$40 - No experience necessary, all are welcome
Sessions are offered rain or shine, exact meeting locations and what to bring provided upon registration.
"The power of the forest is undeniable and the love and inspiration that you ooze is magnetic. I needed these forest bathing sessions more than I even realized. I feel connected to the land, to these people, and to myself. Thank you!"
- Sylvie
Meet your Guide
Dr. Heather Burns
I am a certified Forest Therapy Guide with the Association for Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT). I have been guiding forest bathing since 2018 and love its capacity to quickly bring participants into states of ease, calm, and connection. I'm also an expert eco-spiritual facilitator, former professor of sustainability, and long-time experiential educator and nature-lover.
​
I love sitting with (and sometimes in) trees, swimming in rivers, getting my hands into the soil, and engaging in contemplative practices like meditation, sit spot, yoga, dance, and of course forest bathing.
"A deep awareness of the gifts of the earth
and of each other is medicine."
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Organize a Forest Bathing Walk for your group
Heather will work with you to design and lead a walk or series of walks for your employee group, wellness group, spiritual group, or friend group customized for your specific goals, time frame, and location. You might be looking for a professional development opportunity for your team, a healing or supportive experience for your group, or a way to celebrate a special occasion.
Heather created a forest therapy graduate course at Portland State University, which she taught for many years, and has led forest bathing walks for non-profit groups, student groups, and for wellness groups such as Legacy Cancer Support. She also leads walks through airbnb experiences, and for the public at Leach Botanical Gardens.
You can also request a designed-for-you half day or full day forest bathing retreat, for a longer more immersive experience of nature-connection.
Forest bathing supports healthy relationships and authentic connection and can offer your group a much needed experience of rest and renewal in partnership with the natural world.
"I want to thank you for this amazing experience. It was truly special and life-changing for me. After this experience I feel more connected and grounded."
- Nat
More about Forest Therapy
Forest therapy, also known as forest bathing, is a nature connection experience inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku. This nature-based experience offers the chance to step away from the stresses of daily life and to find healing and nourishment through intentional engagement with the land and other beings. Forest Therapy is a slow, guided, mindful walk and series of invitations to help you slow down, awaken your senses, and connect with the earth in a deeply personal way.
Forest therapy supports healing by offering the opportunity to radically and intentionally slow down, rest, take a break from technology, and to renew your sense of connection with the living earth. The healing impacts of forest therapy increase over time and support long-term health and wellness.
Research has shown that forest therapy allows the nervous system to relax, boosting immunity, reducing anxiety, depression, and stress, improving cognitive function, and improving sleep. Through a series of guided invitations, forest therapy creates a sense of embodied presence that enables you to access new ways of being, including more joy, curiosity, playfulness, spaciousness, and awe--states that are so important to cultivating resiliency in this era of dramatic change.
Forest therapy practice is a great complement to traditional therapy and to anyone on a healing journey who may be experiencing anxiety, transition, burnout, relationship challenges, grief, or dis-ease. Forest therapy will boost your sense of overall well-being, immunity, and resiliency.​
​
