When people 'forest bathe' they’re simply giving themselves a chance to amplify the sensory connection they have to nature.
Your audio guide is for someone to listen to on a forest walk or to go “forest bathing”? What does that mean, and is it different from a regular walk?
When people “forest bathe” they’re simply giving themselves a chance to amplify the sensory connection they have to nature. This is done through a guide’s invitations, which prompt opportunities for mindfulness. In a regular walk, you might be concerned with getting from “A” to “B” or your level of exertion. In an organized forest therapy walk, you don’t go very far, and you’d take regular stops for mindful moments and self-reflection; a forest walk is organized around making sensory connections to the natural world. “The forest is the ‘therapist’; the guide opens the door.”
Colorado is an outdoorsy place. Many people here prioritize time in nature and know they feel better when they spend time outside, even if they don’t know the biological mechanisms behind why. Can you share a few of the ways being in nature impacts body, mind, and spirit?
Some of the most compelling ways I’ve recently learned about how nature impacts body, mind, and spirit have come from the research related to my book-length, work-in-progress (the tentative title is Nature, America's Enslaved Ancestors, and a New Earth Story). I’ve researched the oral histories of the last generation of people to experience racialized, chattel enslavement in the US to better understand their environmental perspectives and practices. People sometimes reduce non-human nature interaction during enslavement to those moments when nature was used to enforce social hierarchies. Yet, it was also a silent partner in liberation. Enslaved people fed their bodies from gardens they voluntarily tended under moonlight; they gave their bodies and minds rest by taking refuge in caves, and they buoyed their spirits with nighttime, clandestine worship. Because of these environmental testimonies, I now have a concrete sense of how nature played a role in my ancestors’ struggle for freedom.
The circumstances we live in are, no doubt, different. However, nature hasn’t changed. Even in the midst of our unfolding climate crisis, nature connection can be liberatory.
Do you have any examples from your own life or that people have shared with you about how nature affects well-being?
I live in a village that is a designated municipal arboretum. When I was looking for a place to live, I had an uncanny feeling from an American Elm I call “Big Mama.” I saw her in a nearby park, and it felt as though she was telling me “Baby, this is home.” The sense of well-being I felt from this tree communicated so deeply to me when I first saw it. And this tree knows what she’s talking about: I love it. Every day when I wake up, I have what I call a “treehouse” view. A sense of connection and belonging sparks every time I see Big Mama and the natural community around her.
How often do you personally take a nature walk or go “forest bathing”? What do you recommend for others?
I thought that naming our family’s dog “Suzi Disco” might tap into her active side, but the truth is she loves taking short walks and sitting on several different park benches in succession, taking in the natural surroundings around her. So, I am outdoors every day urban-forest-bathing in our neighborhood. I would recommend that anyone interested in the benefits of forest bathing seek out walks by certified guides in their area. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) has a searchable list of ANFT-certified guides available. In-person, guided forest therapy walks give you the benefit of the guide’s work in creating routes and invitations along with the company of being with other forest bathers who can witness what you share during the experience. Many guides conclude with a tea ceremony which offers a chance to experience nature through your sense of taste.
As a writer, does being in nature impact your creativity, if so how? Are there creative benefits from spending time in nature?
Yes and Yes! Walking, or even sitting outdoors, in nature helps me work through and spark ideas. Reading The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams (who has an essay in the Biophilia catalog) confirmed what I already knew as a writer. Her book and others detail the biological processes that are involved in the creative benefits of taking time in non-human nature. In my experience, the primary benefit is that it feels as though my brain relaxes and gets creatively comfortable in natural surroundings.
What advice would you offer someone who wanted to deepen their connection with nature?
You don’t have to go far. Deepening nature connection can start with yourself; we are nature. Taking a forest therapy walk is an inroad that helps you tap into your sensory connection as and with nature.
I’d also say that the arts have a wonderful role in nature connection too. For example, writing and/or drawing as a reaction to what you see in nature can be a great in-the-moment activity and what results is an artifact that can transport you back to that moment. Understanding that the nature connection art you create can be “for your eyes only” takes the pressure off.
What do you hope people take away from listening to your guided audio that’s part of the Biophilia digital catalog?
I hope people take away wonder, delight, and appreciation of their existence as nature – a conversation between the nature in you speaking with the nature all around you. I hope my guided audio walk supports people in enjoying their Earthlingness.
“A Forest Walk” is an audio-guided walk you created for listeners to use in a natural space wherever they are. When you do in-person walks, where do you like to guide?
For the time being, I am enjoying the challenge of creating audio-guided material. In-person walks can be very special, yet I like the flexibility of creating audio-guided material. I’ve guided many more people than I ever could have if I were only guiding in person because of the audio-guided material. Right now, I’m enjoying the challenge of writing a forest therapy walk related to my aforementioned book-in-progress. That project allows me to celebrate African-Americans as one of the groups who have sought out the liberatory power of nature.
