Reserve Your Forest Bathing Experience

The smell of the forest can heal you. Not metaphorically - biologically.

When trees release their natural oils (phytoncides) they're protecting themselves... but your body responds too- in ways most people have no idea about.

Your nervous system recognizes these chemicals immediately.

One breath starts shifting you from stress to safety. From fight/flight to relax/repair.

Research by Harvard Univ. shows that breathing these compounds can: lower cortisol, decrease anxiety, reduce blood pressure and increase heart rate variability HRV

All signs your body is resetting and starting to heal.

Another amazing part... Your immune system responds too

NK cells- your natural cancer fighting cells- increase by up to 50% after spending 2 hours in the forest. This response can last for weeks.

This is why nature feels good. Your body knows it's safe there. Your body heals faster there. Your mind quiets there.

If you are overwhelmed, sick, out of balance or on edge, one of the simplest and best things you can do for yourself is spend deep restorative time in nature. With any practice, having a specially trained guide can deepen and enhance these benefits. allowing you to get lost in the experience.

Forest bathing also known as Shinrin-yoku, is a guided form of mindfulness that involves sensory immersion in a natural setting. Sessions are designed to create the best opportunity for your body and mind to receive the healing effects of nature through specially crafted invitations that engage your senses and allow you to receive the maximum benefits that nature has to offer.

Your guide, Lisa Wilson trained in Nara, Japan with the Shinrin-yoku Association in the birthplace of forest bathing. There she studied and received her certification as an SYA ISO certified Shinrin-yoku guide.

What Is Forest Bathing?

About Your Guide

Lisa Wilson is a Shinrin Yoku Association (SYA) ISO certified guide. She earned her certification in the forests of Nara, Japan. She's led Forest Therapy sessions all over the world, including Japan and Honolulu. Today she lives and guides in the mountains near her home in Hendersonville North Carolina.

Recognition & Affiliations

• ISO certified SYA (Shinrin Yoku Association) graduate.

• Accredited CPD Course from University of Derby UK on Nature Connectedness.

• BA in Biology/ Environmental Studies from Hanover College.

• Wellness Program Specialist.

• Plum Village Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet.

• Photography and Mindfulness certified training with Andanafoto, Valencia Spain.

Joan Crete Oahu, Hawaii

The small group session I experienced with Lisa was a gift. She opened up a space for all of us to deeply connect with the natural world in a way that was different from simply going on a hike. Her gentle, positive energy helped set the stage for amazing insights!

Tamara Moan, Artist & Writer

★★★★★

My experience with EarthforaPillow has allowed me to transcend deeper in my connection to the aina (land). I've had three sessions, a one on one session and two group sessions. Each time I was immediately relaxed by Lisa's soft voice and gentle navigation. Afterward, I felt calm, yet energized.

★★★★★

My forest bathing session with Lisa helped me reconnect with nature mindfully. She provided guidance and then created a safe space for me to explore and tune in to the power and beauty all around me. Since my session, I have been making more time to commune with nature throughout my day, helping me feel more grounded and at peace.

Desi Poteet, Writer, Writing Coach

Taking time out of a busy life to have a private conversation with nature wasn't at the top of my To-Do List. I already love walking in nature. What's the difference between that and forest bathing?

Depth. As with many things, when you slow down long enough to consciously breathe in your surroundings, you're met with reciprocity and graced with deeper awareness.

In my first session with Lisa Wilson, I communed with an ancient ironwood tree situated next to a sea wall at the edge of the beach. Earlier that morning I had taken photos of its form from above. Now, given the opportunity to touch, look, and listen more deeply, I realized it only had three legs because its trunk had been burned through — likely by a beach bonfire gone rogue.

Shocked by the black, white and rosy char on its remaining tripod, I looked skyward in amazement that its stature remained strong with needles afresh in its branches. The following week I began a painting based on photos taken of its wounded interior. Why was I surprised by the forms of ancestors, of people and creatures who have loved, lived, and played around this stalwart being of the beach? Had I not taken the time to take a closer look, had I instead continued to marvel at its shape without investigating further, I would be living a less enriched, less aware life.

Now I wonder about the other ironwoods with legs that I've seen. Now I know to stop, look, ask, listen, and learn. Now I know why I go Forest Bathing. Nature truly is our greatest gift and teacher.

Patrice Federspiel www.ArtofAloha.com

What Are People Saying

★★★★★