Finding Healing in the Forest: My Guided Forest Therapy Session

Finding Healing in the Forest: My Guided Forest Therapy Session

On Saturday morning, I had the privilege of guiding a Forest Therapy group session. From 10am until noon, we gathered beneath the trees, walking slowly, connecting deeply with our senses, and allowing nature to hold us. By 11.25am we returned to the yurt, grounding with tea, quiet reflection, and conversation.

This wasn’t simply a walk in the woods. It was an immersion an invitation to slow down, soften, and experience the forest in a way many of us rarely do.

What is Forest Therapy?

Forest Therapy, sometimes called Shinrin Yoku or “forest bathing,” is a mindful practice that originated in Japan. It is not about hiking, exercise, or even meditation in the conventional sense. Instead, it’s a gentle, guided process of connection, with the natural world, our senses, and ourselves.

By slowing down, noticing, and being present, we can access a deep sense of calm, clarity, and belonging.

The beauty of Forest Therapy is that it is fully accessible: no matter your age, ability, or background, the forest is there for you.

The Science of Forest Therapy

The healing power of nature is not just poetic, it is proven. Research has shown that spending mindful time in the forest can:

• Reduce blood pressure
  
  
• Lower inflammation and boost immunity
  
  
• Support heart and respiratory health
  
  
• Offer preventative effects for diabetes and lifestyle-based cancers
  
  
• Ease anxiety and depression
  
  
• Lift mood and emotional wellbeing
  
  
• Reduce fatigue while improving clarity and cognition
  
  

Trees themselves play a role. They release phytoncides, natural compounds that have measurable benefits for our nervous system and immunity.

In short: the forest doesn’t just soothe us, it heals us.

Why I Lead Forest Therapy

For me, Forest Therapy is deeply personal.

During perimenopause and a period of living with PPPD (Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness), I often felt overwhelmed by dizziness, anxiety, and depression. On many days, the only thing that brought relief was time in nature.

Even when I couldn’t ride horses, walk far, or use my usual practices like meditation, the forest became my refuge. I discovered that simply sitting beneath trees, noticing the play of light, or breathing with the rhythm of the wind offered me glimmers of hope.

When I later came across the concepts of Eco Therapy and Forest Therapy, everything clicked. I knew this was something I wanted not only to learn but to share.

My intention now is to show others, especially women navigating burnout, anxiety, or chronic health challenges  that there is another way to heal. A way that is slow, gentle, and available to all.

Inside the Session

Our morning began with grounding and a sensory invitation. Participants were guided to close their eyes, connect with their breath, and slowly awaken their senses:

• Feeling the weight of the body supported by the Earth
  
  
• Listening to sounds near and far
  
  
• Noticing scents carried on the air
  
  
• Exploring touch, taste, and the textures around us
  
  

From there, we moved into invitations; simple prompts to deepen connection with the forest:

• Walking mindfully at a slower pace than usual
  
  
• Sit spot practice, giving ourselves permission to do nothing
  
  
• Wabi-sabi eyes, softening our gaze to notice quiet, imperfect beauty
  
  
• Listening to the wind as though the forest were breathing with us
  
  
• Noticing the small things, the details often overlooked
  
  
• Connecting with the trees, feeling their presence and companionship
  
  

Each invitation offered participants space to explore in their own way. There were no expectations, only gentle guidance.

Coming Back Together

We closed the session by gathering in circle, sharing tea and cake, and reflecting on the gifts of the forest. Many spoke of feeling lighter, calmer, or more open. Others noticed details they had never paid attention to before.

I invited everyone to carry this practice into their daily lives to create small mindful moments at home, light a candle, sip tea slowly, or pause to notice the spaces in between.

A Personal Note

Guiding this session felt like a homecoming. After years of study in coaching, reiki, meditation, mindfulness, and healing, weaving Forest Therapy into my work feels natural and true.

Nature held me through some of my hardest seasons, and now it feels like a gift to share her medicine with others.

🌿 About Me
I’m Susi, a three-times qualified life coach, advanced reiki healer, award-winning therapist, international meditation and mindfulness teacher and trainer, Forest Therapy Practitioner, and passionate lifelong learner.

Having lived through chronic health conditions, anxiety, depression, and trauma, I now support women in reconnecting to their values, finding trust in themselves again, and moving from darkness into light with nature as our greatest ally.

✨ If you’d like to experience a Forest Therapy session, drop me a message for a one to one, check out my events page for more opportunities soon. Until then, may you find your own moments of stillness, wonder, and healing beneath the trees.

With Love Susi xx

Find out more about Forest Therapy here: https://www.spiritandsoul.me/forest-therapy