Locations the Forest Therapy walk experiences are offered:

All the Forest Therapy walk experiences offered by Nature Being are tailored for private groups and are available in several of the parks around Sydney.

The current locations include Centennial Park in Sydney CBD, Lane Cove National Park in North Sydney, and the Royal National Park just south of Sydney.

Number of participants

The optimal number of participants for a private group walk is between 2 to 8 people.

A smaller group for these Forest Therapy walk experience can help as participants feel more relaxed around people they know, and they enjoy the effect of the experience more without the social pressure of strangers being present.

A private group walk offers a supportive environment where individuals can strengthen their feeling of nature connection and inspire each other.

Sometimes a private group Forest Therapy walk experiences will involve just two people when the opportunity to have a more personal experience is preferred.

All private walks are conducted by expert trained and certified Forest Therapy Guides. The guides all hold current qualifications in First Aid, and Mental Health First Aid.

Background of Forest Therapy.

The world we live in today, is a densely populated manmade urban environment consisting mostly of concrete roads, buildings and vehicles. These urban environments dramatically reduce our access to natural environments and with the changes in our work lives and device usage, most of us spend significantly more time indoors than we do outside.

This is a very recent change in our living environment as its only in the last 1000 years we have become such an urbanised species.

For most of our recent evolution our entire livelihoods would have been spent outside, and our physiology is still adapted to it. It is easy to forget how our physiology is designed to interact, respond and connect with the natural environment. Yosifumi Miyazaki a researcher in Health and Field Sciences reminds us that:

“As we spend time in naturalistic environments we become alive to life out of doors, to experience a sense of comfort and the realisation that they are the only places where we engage all five senses and experience being fully physically alive”.

Through research, what has now become evident is that our reduced contact with the natural environment has resulted in a reduction in both physical and mental health. When we have more contact with the natural environment we become more connected to nature.

More connection with nature also leads to a sense of wellbeing that we are part of this greater universe. As nature support us, we must support nature. We can achieve this by being in nature, appreciating nature, loving nature and protecting nature.

With the change to an urbanised lifestyle, we are now experiencing a reduction of beneficial inputs from the natural environment. This is when compared with what we would normally be exposed to before this change.

Living in cities mean we are:

• Exposed to less of blue and green light.

• Less time viewing natural environments, as opposed to manmade objects.

• Less time observing animals, birds, and plants, patterns, seasons

• Less exposure to environmental elements such as rain, sun, wind and temperature changes.

• Less time with the sounds of the natural soundscape

• Less exposure to the abundance of different natural textures

• Less exposure to the awe and wonder of the natural world

• Significant reduction in the use of our senses

Forest Therapy walk experiences are designed to help re-establish the sense of connection to nature through these elements.

Proven Health Benefits

A group Forest Therapy experience walk offers numerous health benefits, beyond just enjoyable light physical exercise in a beautiful forest environment.

The Forest Therapy walk experience has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being, and the increase the sense of connecting with others.

Forest Therapy has been scientifically researched and proven to have positive effects on mental health.

The Forest Therapy walk experience.

During the Forest Therapy walk experience, you will have the opportunity to engage in mindfulness exercises, guided deep breathing techniques, and enhancing sensory awareness activities.

Our trained guides will help you to let the sights, sounds, and scents of the forest envelop you, providing a sense of calm and serenity.

A private group on a Forest Therapy walk, involves moving slowly and quietly in nature.

As we gently wander following the guide, we become more aware of the dappled light, shadows, aromas, rustling of leaves, bird song, warmth of the sun or rain drops on our skin.

As we sense these elements of nature, we find our attention shifts from the mind to the body.

Our slower pace and quiet movements awaken us to nature, and our body responds by reducing stress hormones, blood pressure, showing a decrease in sense of anxiety and depression, and providing a naturally elevated mood.

The Forest Therapy experience has been designed to maximise the potential health benefits for participants, while providing a memorable and unique way to approach time in nature.