Forest Therapy, often called forest bathing, is a gentle relational practice that deepens our intimacy with the living world—and with our own natural being. It invites us to slow down, to listen, and to rediscover a quiet awareness that we belong to the planet that sustains us: to sense who we are beneath the layers of everyday noise, what draws us at the level of our nature, and how we might move through the world with care and reciprocity. In this way, the practice nourishes not only our inner life but every dimension of well-being.
A growing body of scientific research points to remarkable health benefits. Time spent in attentive presence among trees can strengthen the immune system, support cardiovascular and respiratory health, restore attention, and reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
Forest Therapy draws inspiration from the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku, which can be translated as bathing in the atmosphere of the forest. It is a research-informed approach to health and regeneration grounded in sensory immersion in forests and other natural environments. Unlike hiking, which often focuses on distance or physical exertion, the emphasis here is on presence—allowing body and mind to attune to the slower rhythms of the more-than-human world. Forest Therapy is a practice that gently guides us from the endlessly thinking mind back into the sensing, feeling body.
Scientific studies confirm a wide range of physiological and psychological effects, particularly in strengthening immune response, supporting heart health, improving mood, and enhancing mental clarity. At the same time, the practice opens a space for something less measurable and less tangible: a distant memory that we are not separate from nature, but part of a wider web of life.
Forest Therapy is not a prescription but a practice. There is no single correct way to experience it, and no predetermined list of benefits one must achieve. Each walk unfolds differently, and everyone can experience it in their own way. Guided invitations create a gentle structure while leaving space for curiosity, creativity, and the gifts of the forest itself. In this reciprocal encounter, both the human and the forest are nourished.
Join a guided Forest Therapy walk and experience the restorative power of the forest. Allow the landscape to meet you where you are and quietly guide you back toward balance, toward yourself, and toward the forest. If you feel the call, write to: sasa@agapea.si
“The key to unlocking the power of the forest is in the five senses. Let nature enter through your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and feet. Listen to the birds singing and the breeze rustling in the leaves of the trees. Look at the different greens of the trees and the sunlight filtering through the branches. Smell the fragrance of the forest and breathe in the natural aromatherapy of phytoncides. Taste the freshness of the air as you take deep breaths. Place your hands on the trunk of a tree. Dip your fingers or toes in a stream. Lie on the ground. Drink in the flavor of the forest and release your sense of joy and calm. This is your sixth sense, a state of mind. Now you have connected with nature. You have crossed the bridge to happiness.” — Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li
Step into relationship with the forest. If you feel drawn to a slower pace among the trees, or would like to learn more about guided Forest Therapy, you are warmly invited to write to me. I will be glad to answer your questions and support you in gently weaving a deeper relationship with the forest and the living world. The experience can unfold in a group, with friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, or in a more intimate way—simply on your own, in a timeless gathering with forest beings. If you feel the call, write to: sasa@agapea.si
