Latest news with #forestbathing
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Forest bathers find new ways to experience Edmonton's green spaces
A forest bather can be seen in Mill Creek ravine during a guided Shinrin-yoku tour aimed at using nature to improve mental and physical health. (Connor Hogg/CTV News Edmonton) The first batches of Edmonton forest bathers are finding out just what the practice is about. It was the first week for a new city program aimed at improving health through time spent in nature. Forest bathing comes from the practice of Shinrin-yoku, developed decades ago to promote Japan's forests and help urban Japanese workers decompress. 'Lliving in a dense urban environment like Edmonton, it can be easy to forget that we are part of nature as well,' said George Szilagyi, urban forester with the City of Edmonton. 'This is a really good opportunity for folks to reconnect, separate themselves from the noise of the city and maybe some personal noise that's going on as well.' Forest bathers in Mill Creek Ravine Forest bathers can be seen in Mill Creek ravine during a guided Shinrin-yoku tour aimed at using nature to improve mental and physical health. (Connor Hogg/CTV News Edmonton) While forest bathing includes walking in nature, it's more than just a nature walk. The new program offers two-hour guided tours through the local urban forests, with staff trained in Shinrin-yoku helping guide hikers through intentional ways of spending time in nature – such as meditation and personal reflection. '(Participants) can expect to be given invitations to consider their place in the natural world, their connections to the trees. It's really an opportunity to invoke their own memories, their own experiences with trees, their sense of metaphor,' Szilagyi said. 'I think a lot of people who come to this practice are just hoping for a bit of relaxation, and are often kind of surprised by the feelings that it can bring up in them,' added guide Allyn Esau. 'People have had pretty profound reactions. 'Sometimes people are even brought to tears because they reflect on impermanence or imperfection and relate that to themselves.' Forest bathers in Mill Creek Ravine A forest bather can be seen in Mill Creek ravine during a guided Shinrin-yoku tour aimed at using nature to improve mental and physical health. (Connor Hogg/CTV News Edmonton) Szilagyi called Edmonton's green spaces 'a treasure,' and said the program encourages residents to take full advantage of them. 'Research shows that the very real and measurable physical health benefits of being in the woods take about two hours to really take hold, and the beneficial effects can last as long as a month,' he added. 'This is a way for people who are already enjoying the forest here in the river valley to maximize the effects of their visits.' Training for the new program was paid for by federal grant funding, Szilagyi said, and no new city staff were hired to support it. For more information or to register for a tour, visit the City of Edmonton website. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Connor Hogg
CNA
05-07-2025
- Health
- CNA
Yes, you can go forest bathing in Singapore – this 49-year-old guide took us to the Botanic Gardens
When she mentions forest bathing, Hazel Yap often gets asked: 'Huh? Where is the forest in Singapore?' Forest bathing is, simply, spending time in a forest or natural environment, and the slow, mindful immersion of all senses to connect with nature. 'You don't need a forest for forest bathing,' declared the 49-year-old Yap. 'You just need to be around greenery. You can even do this indoors with a plant around you.' Yap is a certified guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, a global organisation for forest therapy training. 'To me, the 'forest' in forest bathing loosely refers to nature. Forest bathing is about finding connection with nature,' she said. Originating in Japan during the early 1980s, the practice of forest bathing is rooted in ancient Shinto and Buddhist traditions, as well as modern scientific research. Studies have shown that it improves physical, mental and emotional health by reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and improving immune function. I had arrived 15 minutes late from a difficult school drop-off for my kids. And as I sat in a circle of strangers, my mind was still darting between my to-do lists. When we began in a yoga-like fashion, eyes closed, breathing deeply, I struggled to even keep my eyes shut. As Yap invited us to focus on each of our senses, my ears tuned in to the sporadic chirping of birds, my nose picked up the green scent of wet grass, my skin felt the soft drop of rain as it bounced off my skin. As my mind gradually stilled, Yap invited us to go on a solitary short walk through the glistening garden. It was a path I had treaded many times – for picnics, to cafes, to playdates for my kids – but never so purposelessly. I wandered amidst low hanging branches, bushes heavy with flowers and weeds growing rampant on the grass. By the time I returned, I wasn't half as frazzled as before. Finally, to end the hour-long session, Yap invited us to bring a gift back from nature. It was a treasure hunt for fallen flora and foliage. I returned with a fern-like leaf for my daughter's bedroom. That was it. My first forest bathing experience. No forest in sight. BECOMING A FOREST BATHING GUIDE 'My job as a forest bathing guide is to open the door to nature for you and plant a seed that will one day grow,' Yap said. This 'door' refers to a deeper connection with nature. 'Many go to the park with intention, and are often running or walking very fast,' she said. Because of that, they don't slow down and fully immerse in nature. Being a forest bathing guide is Yap's passion project; she earns her living as co-founder of Serious Media, a digital marketing agency with multinational clients. It is a fast-paced role, and by September 2021, three years after she co-founded the business, Yap was burnt out. 'I woke up and said, this is enough. I couldn't continue,' she recalled. That was still during the pandemic, so Yap took a 10-day break in Singapore and tried three new things: baking, knife painting and forest bathing. In fact, she arrived at the Healing Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens for her nature immersion with an upset stomach after lunch. 'It was raining and I was holding an umbrella. There were a lot of mosquitoes. I was bitten left, right, centre,' she laughed. But as she eased into the session, all her physical discomfort fell away. 'I'll never forget that feeling of the wind blowing on my skin. I felt so alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised by how bright the colours were,' she recalled. When her guide invited her to 'befriend' a tree, it did not strike her as odd. She simply went up to a tree, touched it and leaned on it, and somehow, her stomach felt better, she said. 'After my session, I looked at the signage and realised this tree heals people with stomach issues when parts of it are consumed.' It was such a magical experience that six weeks later, Yap signed up for a forest-bathing guide course with the United States-based Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. 'It turned out to be a healing process for me,' she said. NATURE AS THERAPIST With the pandemic still raging, sessions were conducted over six months via Zoom with participants heading outdoors. It was during one of those sessions that Yap broke down in front of some 30 international course mates. Tasked to sit under a tree for self-reflection, Yap felt a connection to the tree and her thoughts began to wander to her beloved late grandmother, who died at the age of 78 due to respiratory problems. Yap was 40 then. On the day she died, she had just been discharged from hospital, but died unexpectedly as the ambulance pulled up to her HDB block. Yap, who had been following the ambulance in her uncle's car, did not even get to say goodbye. 'My grandmother raised me for the first seven years of my life and was like a mother to me. I felt like my world collapsed. Her death also led me to question what this life is for,' Yap told CNA Women. As these memories filled her mind, Yap started tearing, and soon, this became breathless sobs. 'It felt like a therapy session,' she said. Three years later, after pandemic restrictions on travel were lifted, Yap made a trip to Yakushima Island in Japan in October 2023 to complete her forest bathing course. As a final ritual, she wandered into an ancient forest and spent four hours on her own. 'I came out (of the forest) with a heart of gratitude, and as I was sharing my experience (with my course mates), I broke down and cried. Something was released in me,' she said. The experience changed the way Yap approaches life today. 'In Singapore today, everything is just fast, fast, fast. We think that it is the norm to go fast. It is not. We are not built to be like that. ''Fast' can mean efficiency and being ahead of the game, But it can also mean making hasty decisions. It can bring you stress,' Yap reflected. 'I used to be like that. I walked, talked, ate and did everything fast. I couldn't sit still. The biggest learning for me is to slow down,' she added. 'I now know how to take a pause and make mental space for myself. I will say, I'm not feeling okay today. 'Whenever I am faced with challenges or feel down, I spend time in nature. And even though I may not have solved the problem, I feel like the weight of the world has lifted off.' IMMERSING IN NATURE IN SINGAPORE Today, despite her busy full-time job, Yap makes time to lead others on this experience via her company A Good Rest. 'While forest bathing is still new in Singapore, I hope it will be like yoga one day, where almost everyone that you speak to would say, I have done it before or I'm actually doing it weekly,' she said. In addition, Yap also hopes to organise a weekly reading club in nature. View this post on Instagram A post shared by A Good Rest (@ 'I want to be an advocate for rest,' she said. 'Rest is important; you don't need to feel guilty about rest.' She hopes her children, aged 19 and 21, will benefit from this. 'They are born in an era where everything is fast, and everything they consume is digital. I don't think the word 'rest' is even in their headspace. I hope my children will learn what rest is,' she said. 'Rest does not only mean taking 10 days off for a holiday. In a world that is full of problems, noise and stress, sometimes all we need to do is take that one step out. 'Go to your park, or a quiet spot, sit under a tree and just be with yourself for a few minutes. That is the best way to enjoy nature,' she said.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lorne Gunter: Who knew Edmonton promotes 'forest bather' program to 'reduce stress and enhance wellness'
Turns out I've been a 'forest bather' all these years and didn't even know it. No, no. That doesn't mean I run starkers into the woods until I find a pond, then leap in for a cleansing dip. According to the City of Edmonton's new 'forest bathing' program (yes, the city actually set up such a program with guides and schedules and everything), bathing in the forest can be as simple as going for an 'exploratory walk' or drinking in all the sensations that surround us in the river valley. Don't you just get all tingly imagining standing in a grove of poplars and chanting a mantra right now? 'Om Mani Pädme Hum!' For a dozen years, since we rescued our beautiful dog Kali with the help of the Edmonton Humane Society, I've been going on long walks down by the North Saskatchewan River three or four times a week. Now that we have a second dog, Cooper, it's a great way to help him burn off energy. (He's a five-year-old border collie–blue heeler cross.) Our frequent walks are a great way to meet other dogs and dog owners. But the dogs and I also know a couple of long trails on which we are unlikely to encounter anyone else. A peaceful hour on one of these paths is very relaxing. I guess that means that all this time I've been a closet forest bather. Who knew? Unbeknownst to me, I've even occasionally used one of the city's approved forest-bathing glades. Twice a week until Sept. 18, the city is offering free 'forest therapy' sessions 'to reduce stress and enhance wellness.' They've hired guides to lead 'silent meditation, mindful sensory exploration and group and individual reflections.' All of this to 'increase connection to nature in our urban forest.' Seriously!? This is an activity that needs to be organized and guided? Isn't that level of formality self-defeating to the simple enjoyment of nature? In his famous 19th-Century book Walden; or, Life in the Woods, a 'reflection on simple living in natural surroundings,' I don't recall Henry David Thoreau talking about meeting up with his government guide at the marshalling point near the parking lot for the spiritual walk to Walden Pond. It's galling to think the city is hitting up taxpayers for this exercise. If you want to get together with a bunch of other meditators to explore the river valley, have at 'er. Just don't make me pay for it from a budget city council is always complaining is overstressed. But beyond the notion that 'forest bathing' is a tax-funded activity in Edmonton — and an overthought one at that — what makes this doubly upsetting is that this program was announced the same week council manipulated its agenda so it could cancel a hearing on residents' legitimate concerns about mega-infill projects in the middle of existing residential neighbourhoods. Talk about getting its priorities screwed up. Council also found time to extend the community revitalization levy for Downtown. That will increase taxes through 2044 to fund projects that have very little chance of revitalizing our city core. But council didn't have time to hear from residents concerned that the neighbourhoods they have made their lives in are being ripped apart by enormous developments on tiny lots with all the parking spilling onto the streets in front. Homes that people have pumped their live savings into are being devalued and their quality of life diminished so the city can push ahead with its unbalanced obsession for 'more homes everywhere.' The majority on council couldn't take the time this week to hear those concerns, but it did manage to find time to approve a seven-acre mountain bike park in the river valley (presumably far from the forest bathing sites). Any councillor with priorities as messed up as this deserves to be turfed out. lgunter@ Zoning bylaw debate poses some thorny issues for Edmonton council Lorne Gunter: Trickery at city hall so Edmontonians went home without being heard You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
CTV News
04-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Edmonton inviting residents to try ‘forest bathing'
Edmonton Watch The city is inviting residents to try 'forest bathing,' the act of connecting with our urban forest.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
What is forest bathing and why does the City of Edmonton want you to try it?
Edmonton's urban forest can be seen in a photo from July 3, 2025. (Darcy Seaton/CTV News Edmonton) Edmontonians are being invited to immerse themselves in a soothing forest bath. Forest bathing is a term used to describe the act of spending time connecting with nature, something research has linked to improvements in cognition, mood, mental health and emotional well-being. The term comes from the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku. According to National Geographic, the term emerged in the 1980s as an exercise to help combat technology-related burnout and encourage reconnection with Japan's forests. On Thursday, the City of Edmonton announced its own forest bathing program for residents to explore and build a deeper connection to the urban forest, with the goal of reducing stress and improving overall wellness. Edmonton urban forest Edmonton's urban forest can be seen in a photo from July 3, 2025. (Darcy Seaton/CTV News Edmonton) The free program includes guided sessions from trained Shinrin-yoku guides from Edmonton's urban forestry team, offering sensory exploration, silent meditation, exploratory walking, and group and individual reflections. The sessions will be available on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m. at parks across the city. The program will run weekly until Sept. 16. To find out more or to register for a session, visit the City of Edmonton's website.
