Nature Connection walks are the antidote to our high-stress, fast-paced modern lives. Also known as nature or forest therapy, this restorative nature walking is informed by the Japanese practice of "Shinrin Yoku," or “Forest Bathing”. A nature connection walk is not a strenuous hike, or informative naturalist walk. Rather, it is an opportunity to slow down and allow nature to enter your body through all your senses.

During a Forest Bathing walk you'll experience being guided through sensory awareness and immersion activities that simultaneously restore and awaken the body and mind. We start with some guided meditation and slow wandering, move through some games inspired by ancient nature-based cultural practices, include some more reflective or interospective practices and end with a bush tea ceremony.

Whether you're starting your own business or work in a high-stress environment, join us on October 14, take the afternoon off, reconnect and take a walk on the Bondi to Manly Walk.

Health Benefits of Nature Connection

Scientific studies are increasingly showing that human physical and psychological wellbeing is highly dependent on nature. Since the 1980s, Forest Bathing has been standard preventative medicine practice for stress, anxiety and depression in Japan. Now in the West, we're starting to catch on.

Forest Bathing has been shown to lower cortisol, sympathetic nervous activity, blood pressure, heart rate, improve mood and lower anxiety. Contact with nature has been shown to heighten alpha wave activity (the brain wavelength associated with relaxation, meditation and increased serotonin), which causes people to relax and recover from stress. It also increases empathy, compassion, creativity and unrestrained thinking.

Interestingly, forest bathing has been shown to increase the number and activity of Natural Killer cells (the body’s anti-tumor and anti-microbial cells) and decrease inflammatory cytokines (responsible for systemic inflammation in chronic disease states). Through these mechanisms, forest bathing is thought to modulate our immune system and have a healing effect on mental ill-health, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, recovering from surgery and respiratory disease.

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This walk will be hosted by Louise Kiddell from Barefoot Wellbeing and run along the epic Bondi to Manly Walk.

Louise is a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, currently one of just a handful in Australia. Forest Bathing is being called "The New Yoga", but actually connecting to nature in meaningful ways is something humans have been practicing for thousands of years in different cultures all around the world.

Louises intention in creating Barefoot Wellbeing is to guide and support people in their journeys of reconnection to wild places, inside and out.

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You may be photographed or videod while attending this event: please approach the organiser if you have questions, concerns, or do not wish this to happen.

The event organisers may add you to a mailing list so they can follow up, and you can receive updates about their activities: this mailing list will have an easy-to-find unsubscribe button.

This event is part of Spark Festival and upholds the Spark Code of Conduct.