07 Oct Forest Bathing
HELLO FRIENDS!
There is something about fall.
I mean REAL fall. Not the fall we are having now, where summer keeps hanging on.
I want the cooler weather. I want the smell of wood fires. I DO NOT want the pumpkin spice, sorry not sorry. But I DO want the leaves. The colourful, beautiful leaves.
I am heading out to Muskoka next week to hopefully catch some of the fall colours, and crossing everything the weather finally decides to cooperate and turn to PROPER fall.
In the meantime, I have taken up a new hobby that has been helping me in many ways including being able to watch the beautiful fall leaves.
Forest Bathing.
What is Forest Bathing?
Forest Bathing and forest therapy (or shinrin-yoku) broadly means taking in, in all of one’s senses, the forest atmosphere. Not simply a walk in the woods, it is the conscious and contemplative practice of being immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. It was developed in Japan in the 1980s, and in 1982 Japan made this form of mobile medication under the canopy of living forests as part of its national health program. Researchers, primarily in Japan and South Korea, have established a growing body of scientific literature on the diverse health benefits. (From the Global Wellness Institute.)
A client introduced me to the concept about 2 years ago. She was also a member of the cancer community and told me how powerful she found it.
Since then I have been on the hunt to do it but couldn’t find an opportunity.
For my birthday this year, my Mom gifted me a Forest Bathing experience, I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the practice.
It was the start of Truth and Reconciliation week plus the Autumn Equinox. Beth Foster, our nature, and forest therapy guide had partnered with musician Painted Sky to create the most magical of experiences. We walked through the forest guided by Beth’s insightful reflections and accompanied by Painted Sky’s music and stories.
We were asked at the end to give 3 words we felt with the experience mine were:
Peace. Gratitude. Inspiration.
This intimate connection to nature did something to me that I am not sure I am fully able to explain
When doing our introductions before venturing into the forest I felt compelled to share with the group that I live with cancer (emphasis on the living!) I rarely tell strangers that but I was right in the middle of my 4-month surveillance, in full-on “scanxiety” mode, and my gut told me to share and I listened.
As a result of being so open one of the walkers shared with me her cancer story, I love connecting with my community and hearing their stories. It immediately calms me.
Our guide Beth also made sure to mention the power of “Forest Bathing” for cancer patients. Giving me information I wasn’t aware of but that also gave me hope.
Since my first forest bathing experience in September, I have been in communication with Beth as I am writing an article on Forest Bathing for an upcoming newsletter I work on for the RVH Cancer Centre as a PFA (Patient and Family Advisor). Beth reached out to me this week with an amazing video from one of her heroes, Diana Beresford-Kruger, that talks about the power of forest including forest bathing and cancer patients.
Even though I am a storyteller it has always been hard for me to be vulnerable. It is something I am working on. I am so grateful I listened to my intuition and did that on that special day. It has given me a stronger connection to Forest Bathing and what it can do for me and my community.
Here are some resources I have been diving into if you are interested in learning more:
As we closed out our session Beth read us this poem from Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk and Peace Activist, called “The Leaf.”
"I asked the leaf whether if was afraid to fall, since it was autumn and the other leaves were falling. The leaf told me, "No. During the whole spring and summer I was very alive. I worked hard and helped nourish the tree, and much of me is in the tree. Please do not think that I am just this form, because this leaf form is only a tiny part of me. I am the whole tree. I know that I am already inside the tree, and when I go back to the soil, I will continue to nourish the tree. That is why I do not worry. As I drop from the branch and float down to the ground, I will wave to the tree and tell her, "I will see you again very soon."
It really resonated with me.
As someone living with cancer death is something I think about, not always intentionally, but it is always there. Thinking about my legacy is often on my mind, especially since my recurrence. How will I be remembered? What difference have I made? What happens next?
It is sometimes hard for people to hear that. Some may think it is morbid. But as an optimistic realist, I think it is an important exercise. When you are living with something that isn’t going to go away you have to find peace with it. That is one of the ways I do that.
This poem really moved me because it celebrated the powerful connection between life and legacy. For me, it was full of hope and purpose. Hearing it as I sat in the middle of nature, not looking at my phone, fully seeing, hearing, smelling and even tasting it all, was a powerful moment.
Being in the forest and surrounded by this beautiful ecosystem that keeps on keeping on is an amazing place to be. Everything there is perfectly imperfect, just like me, which I think is why I feel so at home. Nothing in my life turned out the way I thought it would but still, I have a good life. It is a good reminder to me on those days I feel “less than” to take a walk in the woods and be an observer of nature and let it heal me.
"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they are still beautiful."
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Please note: I am not an expert or professional in the field of cancer. I am simply someone who has gone through it and living with it, doing my best to offer you my experience and advice in hopes that it helps.
Sending you good vibes always!
Love, Me 
