Healing Earth Ways

17/06/2025

🌳Fancy some deeply de-stressing & soul-soothing time in the woods? 🌳

Join me for a calming Forest Bathing session at Clowes Wood on Saturday 28th June, where I’ll guide you back to your natural state of balance, peace, and vibrant aliveness 🌿🦋🦉

Also known as Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing is a deeply restorative practice from Japan, designed to soothe your nervous system, calm your mind, and reconnect you with the natural world.

✨ Proven to reduce stress hormones
✨ Lowers blood pressure and eases anxiety
✨ Boosts mood, mental clarity and overall wellbeing

In the heart of summer, when life can feel especially fast-paced and overwhelming, this is your invitation to slow down, breathe deeply, and immerse yourself in the healing power of nature.

📍 Clowes Wood - near Earlswood Lakes, Solihull
📅 Saturday 28th June
🕙 10am-1pm

More details and booking at https://healingearthways.eventbrite.com

Step away from the noise — and come home to yourself ✨️

09/06/2025

Cor blimey look who I just bumped into! My first ever glow worm sighting! Now, ten years ago I would've been too scared to camp alone in this isolated campsite in deepest darkest Hampshire, and I definitely wouldn't have gone to check out the weird light in the grass. Even now my first thought was psycho commando stalking me & waiting for me to go to bed before pouncing (honestly though, I'm the only person on the campsite - why would he wait?!!). I'm so glad I can have those thoughts now and not lose my s**t. Not only did I not lose my s**t, I opted to follow my curiosity and headed straight towards the "danger" to check it out. Imagine if I'd hid in my tent and missed this. I never in a million years thought I'd get THIS unscared. There's so much wonder & beauty & magic & amazingness out there waiting for us to break down our barriers and find the courage to go looking 😍

09/06/2025

Beautiful day at our Breathe & Bloom retreat on Saturday ❤️ We had to change venue last minute due to the predicted "wall of rain" and thunderstorm warnings but we managed to get out for some wonderful "nature bathing" in a nearby nature reserve. My first time doing "Forest Bathing" without the forest, and it was so magical to see how deeply it touched people nonetheless. We got a bit wet but the general consensus was that the rain added to the experience more than it took 🌦✨️

I absolutely love these kinds of days, humans getting together to reconnect with our natural selves away from all the tech & pretence of modern society. As well as nature bathing we had a cacao ceremony, meditation, breathwork and a special guest appearance by a didgeridoo 🤩 But as always with these things, the biggest power was in the connections formed among the people and the unique perspectives each person brought to the table. So many rich observations and reflections as each of the practices landed with the participants. As a facilitator I always end the day having learned at least as much if not more than the paying guests. Thank you everyone who made it what it was, and special thanks to for putting it together and keeping the show on the road despite the weather challenges, you're awesome ❤️⚡️🌈

01/06/2025

Visiting the venue for our fabulous Breathe & Bloom retreat day next Saturday with the ever-intrepid & inspirational 🤩 It was my first time seeing the space and I left even more excited than I arrived, it feels very wild and magical, and full of dragonflies which is always a great sign ✨️

If you're looking to take some time out, need to release some stress and anxiety, or just want to try something different, then this is the day out for you 😍

We have a mixture of wellness practices happening throughout the day that will leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed - mindfulness, cacao ceremony, nature bathing (aka forest bathing without the forest!), and manifesting, all surrounded by nature.

Just a few places left now - book yours via the link below 🌿🌻🦋

https://samanthafaulkner.com/breathe-and-bloom

21/05/2025

🌿🌳 Relax & Unwind with Forest Bathing Sessions at Clowes Wood! 🌳🌿

I’m so excited to invite you to my next monthly Forest Bathing session on Saturday 31st May, 10am-1pm, at the stunning Clowes Wood near Solihull 🌳✨

Forest Bathing is a peaceful and transformative practice that involves slowing right down into an altered state of being and fully absorbing the healing energy of nature into the depths of your soul. Studies show that it’s amazing for regulating your nervous system, reducing stress, boosting your mood, and even improving your immune system 🌱💚

But there’s so much more to Forest Bathing than just the health benefits that everyone talks about. It’s about rediscovering what it truly means to be a being of this Earth among all our relatives in the natural world - and the sheer joy, wonder and vibrant aliveness that flows from that 🦋🌞

This is for anyone looking to find more peace, quiet, and balance in their life. Whether you’re new to Forest Bathing or you’re already a nature lover, I know you’ll leave feeling more relaxed and connected than ever before 🌍💫

Date: Saturday 31st May
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: Clowes Wood, near Earlswood Lakes, Solihull

Spaces are limited, so if you’d like to join, feel free to sign up soon! I can’t wait to share the deep peace of this experience with you 🌿💚

https://healingearthways.eventbrite.com

12/05/2025

Hello! I'm still here, sorry for going all quiet on you lately. I got unexpectedly landed with a garden design contract that ate up every spare minute for the past month 😵‍💫

Luckily it seems Trump spooked everyone out of Forest Bathing in April because I'm not sure I would've managed to run my sessions with the exponentially steep learning curve I was on with the garden design. And now the bulk of that work is over, bookings have started to pick up again, as if by magic. Which it is! This is one of the many benefits of getting more connected to nature and learning to surrender to the natural flow of life, instead of trying to micro-manage & control it 🦋 Things just have a way of working out harmoniously if you don't run a mile at the challenges that the natural flow often brings up ⚡️Which I very nearly did in this instance, I don't mind telling you.

And as a Brucie bonus I've even managed to catch Dandelion stems harvest time! So far. That's what those things are lying at my feet. I'm going to need more than this so nothing's certain yet but I'm hoping/planning to run some plant fibre art workshops this year, at last 😄 I've been going on about it the last 2 years so fingers crossed this is the year the stars will align ✨️ We'll see where the natural flow takes me over the next couple of months...

In the meantime, if you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed and constantly racing to keep up, let me guide you into the rich depths of stillness & calm with one of my forthcoming Forest Bathing sessions 🌳🦋🐝 This practice has kept me sane through so much challenge and difficulty the last few years, and I know it can do the same for you too. We belong in nature 🌿

There's 3 ways you can join me over the next month:

- this Saturday (17th May) Forest Bathing at Wolford Wood (private woods near Moreton-in-Marsh)
- Saturday 31st May Forest Bathing at Clowes Wood (Warwickshire Wildlife Trust woods near Solihull)
See https://healingearthways.eventbrite.com for both of these, and...

- Saturday 7th June Nature Bathing and tons more at the Breathe & Bloom full-day retreat near Henley-in-Arden - for details & booking see https://samanthafaulkner.com/breathe-and-bloom

Hope to connect with you in person soon ❤️

17/04/2025

Coming up - not one but TWO opportunities to join me for a spring reset in nature soon!

My next Forest Bathing sessions are:
- Clowes Wood near Solihull on Saturday 26th April, and
- Wolford Wood near Moreton-in-Marsh on Saturday 10th May

Forest Bathing (or Shinrin-Yoku, as it’s known in Japan) is all about slowing down, immersing yourself in your senses, and becoming deeply attuned to the energy of the forest. It’s not a hike or a workout – it’s a gentle, magical way to reconnect with nature and yourself. (It’s also got nothing to do with immersing yourself in water - different type of bathing! Common misconception 🤣)

Studies have shown that Forest Bathing:
🌿Lowers stress and anxiety
🌿Boosts mood and energy
🌿Improves sleep and focus
🌿Supports immune health

But there’s so much more to Forest Bathing than just the health benefits that everyone talks about. It’s about rediscovering what it truly means to be a being of this Earth among all our relatives in the natural world - and the sheer joy, wonder and vibrant aliveness that flows from that 🦋🌞

We’ll walk slowly, breathe deeply, and take in the beauty of the woods with guided invitations to help you relax, become present, and discover the subtle mysteries that nature reveals when you enter this special state of being. No experience needed – just come as you are.

If you’re curious or feel like your soul could use a bit of woodland magic, click on the link below for details. Would love to see you there!

https://healingearthways.eventbrite.com

And there's camping & glamping available on-site at Wolford Wood so you can make it part of your perfect weekend getaway!

30/03/2025

I am SMASHING this social media thing 😁 Here's my first attempt at a group photo to show there are real people who come to my sessions! We sadly had quite a few who weren't able to come last minute - it seemed like some sort of solar eclipse curse 😵‍💫 - but it was a beautiful session full of wonder and connection nonetheless 🌿🦋🪺

We bathed in the slightly weird light of the partial solar eclipse together and were united by our shared experiences of big transformations over the last few years (transformation being a key theme of solar eclipses).

This eclipse was the last one in a two-year cycle of Aries-Libra solar eclipses, which chimes perfectly with the end of phase one of Healing Earth Ways as I'm about to enter phase two: a new monthly Forest Bathing session starting in the Cotswolds on 12th April 🤩 More to come on that but bookings are open on my Eventbrite page (https://healingearthways.eventbrite.com) if you don't need any more convincing 😄

The sessions at Clowes Wood will continue but the new possibilities I've discovered at Wolford are already reinvigorating how I do Forest Bathing, so expect some tweaks ⚡️ A powerful new chapter is beginning ✨️

25/03/2025

Still a few spaces left for this Saturday 😃🌳🦋🌞

There's so much more to connecting with nature than going for a walk in the woods...Whether you're just looking for ways to de-stress and switch off from the craziness of modern life, or there's something stirring deep in your soul that you can't explain but you just know there should be more ...

14/03/2025

Silence is one of the 3 S's of Forest Bathing (the others being Senses and Slowing down) - of course there is always some sort of noise in the woods even on the most peaceful day. But silence has a fuller presence beyond mere absence of noise.

It has a lot to do with cultivating *inner* silence so we can have a more direct experience of the world, without that thick smokescreen of mind-chatter always commenting and critiquing or just thinking about something else entirely.

I've become quite good at switching into that state out in nature, but honestly in other areas of my life I can find silence quite challenging. I've spent my whole adult life working day-jobs that are out of step with my unique life force and talents, so I've developed a strong habit of escaping the present in my mind.

This is a common coping mechanism in Western culture, often enhanced by drink and drugs, smoking, strong coffee, etc. Human thriving is not the primary objective of the system we find ourselves in, and the pain of that almost *forces* us to find escape.

But I notice that during times when I'm doing plenty of Forest Bathing, my tolerance for silence increases. It trains me to appreciate "the fullness of the now" so I can transfer it from the beauty of nature to the simple sensory delights of indoors. I'm more able to feel pleasure in how a room "sings" when I tidy and clean it, I feel a deeper connection with the full life-giving mystery of water when I shower in mindful silence rather than with a playlist running.

It turns out that all that escaping exacerbates the very suffering we're trying to escape from, because the suffering *is* disconnection. Silence creates the space for re-connection to happen. It might not sound like much on paper because it's not something that can be fully known with thinking. It has to be experienced directly, with your deeper faculties of knowing.

The author of these quotes is Catholic but the truths he's pointing at are universal. There are depths to this existence that our noisy culture blocks out, and all human cultures knew them once upon a time.

11/03/2025

Reconnect with Nature this Spring: Forest Bathing Experience ☀️🌿✨

Spring is in the air, bringing renewal, growth, and fresh energy! Join us on 29th March for a special Forest Bathing session—a mindful, immersive walk in nature designed to awaken your senses, calm your mind, and nourish your soul (no nudity or water immersion involved!).

This session is even more magical as we experience the changing light of the partial solar eclipse, a rare celestial moment that symbolizes transformation and new beginnings. Feel the shift in energy as sunlight dances through the trees, connecting you deeply with the rhythms and mysteries of nature.

🌳 Why Forest Bathing?
🌿 Lowers stress & anxiety levels
💙 Supports heart health & lowers blood pressure
🛌 Improves sleep & boosts mood
🧘 Enhances focus, creativity & overall well-being

📅 Date: Saturday 29th March 10am-1pm
📍 Location: Clowes Wood, near Solihull
⏳ Limited spots available! Book now to reserve your space.

https://healingearthways.eventbrite.com

Step into the magic of spring—let nature heal and inspire you! 🌸✨

There's so much more to connecting with nature than going for a walk in the woods...Whether you're just looking for ways to de-stress and switch off from the craziness of modern life, or there's something stirring deep in your soul that you can't explain but you just know there should be more ...