Your Guide
I am Mel Schneider (she/her), your forest therapy guide at Wild Wanders. Through my work as an Environmental Educator I have observed the healing and restorative power of nature. I have also seen proof that people feel disconnected from the natural world around them. I watch how the youngest children have an innate connection to the natural world, and in "growing up" we are taught to sacrifice this connection. I believe we need to do better by our children, ourselves, and nature. As a Certified Forest Therapy Guide trained through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy I hope to not only connect people with the health benefits of spending intentional, undistracted time in nature, but also guide people to forming deeper relationships with themselves, others, and the more-than-human world. Science and experience continue to show that the well-being of humans and the rest of nature are inextricably connected and it is imperative that we restore these disconnected relationships. I believe deeply in the power of forest therapy as a holistic healer of these relationships.
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NOLS Wilderness First Aid Certified
What is Forest Therapy?
Based on the Japanese art of Shinrin-yoku, forest therapy or forest bathing is the practice of spending intentional time in nature, slowing down and using our senses to connect to the more-than-human world and to ourselves. This practice is backed by scientific studies that have shown numerous potential physical and mental health benefits, including:
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Stronger immune functioning - for up to a month after a walk!
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Lower stress
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Stabilizing of blood pressure
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Improved mood and energy
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Better sleep
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Improved clarity, creativity, and focus
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Forest therapy also aids in restoring and nurturing our relationships with ourselves, each other, and the more-than-human world—an antidote to a world that often feels hurried, distracted, and disconnected from nature and one another.
Do I Need a Guide?
Anyone can practice forest bathing on their own, much like yoga or meditation, but people choose to be guided for various reasons. Most people struggle to slow down even when they try to slow down—a guide is trained to bring you into the present moment, connect you to your senses, and help you slow down, both physically and mentally. By offering you invitations to connect with your surroundings you can fully let go of having to think about what to do next. A guided walk also brings you together with other people, improving your relationships, forming new connections, and learning how to listen more deeply.
What To Expect
Forest therapy walks are not hikes nor naturalist walks. They last around 2-3 hours and may only cover a half mile or less in that time. Throughout the walk your guide will offer you a series of invitations, each meant to connect you to the land and the more-than-human world through the gift of your senses. Between each invitation we will gather together to share with one another—and just like the invitations, sharing is always completely optional. Throughout the walk you will have the freedom to sit, wander, and connect with nature in new ways or in whatever way you are called to.
What might the forest be waiting to show you?