28/03/2025
A common question about Forest Therapy - do we need to keep practicing it?
Here’s a story from a 3-part series I curated for a group of girls:
During the last session, they asked “Can we add grapes to the tea?”
“It’s up to you!”
These sessions have been heartfully curated and designed with space for one to make choices.
There is no right or wrong way to experience forest therapy and of course the grapes went into the tea. They designed a very unique tea blend of theirs. A blend I will always remember.
Immersion in nature is not a given and it takes space and time for one to slow down and ease in. As I closed the last experience, The staff said “okay girls, shall we go?” It went silent and no one moved. We continued to just sit on the mats for a little while more. Then the staff asked again “we need to go now, come let’s go!”
Again, no one moved.
This “lingering”, “I do not feel like moving” is in essence the best vibe one could feel! No words needed.
Well, it isn’t always like that though. Over all three sessions we could hear:
- omg, I want to go back
- it’s so hot
- eeeee got ants
- omg got bugs
- noooooo I don’t want, I don’t want
Being in nature and doing nothing could be an edge for some of us. All I got from a girl was just “NO” throughout and finally at the last session, she said “I sat here for very longggggggg and she also said many YESs too. Another girl who kept sharing “I want to go back” repeated that throughout all the sharing circles and yet didn’t move immediately when it’s time to go back. I had no expectations and absolutely no idea how it would turn out.
Some of them were asking, are we coming back? Is there another session?
There is space - for relationships to form/deepen, for one to do nothing, for one to be with their true nature.
Well, do we need to keep practicing Forest therapy - yes and no. The choice is of course yours to make. When we do keep practicing, we choose and allow the journey and our relationships with self-others-nature to deepen.
Thank you .co and for journeying along with me for this 3-part series.