Connecting to Nature for Health & Well-being
Montana Forest Bathing
Forest bathing is a practice that invites us to slow down and experience the natural world through all of our senses without any other goal or focus.
It’s a growing global wellness movement backed by more than 30 years of scientific research on the physiological and psychological benefits of immersing ourselves in nature.
Forest bathing * Shinrin-yoku * Forest therapy
The Japanese coined the term shinrin-yoku which literally translates as “forest bath.” It’s a reference to soaking in the atmosphere of the forest.
Because spending time in nature can improve our mood and refresh us, it might also be described as therapeutic. For that reason, forest bathing is also known as forest therapy.
“The forest is the therapist; the guide opens the door.” ~ M. Amos Clifford
Ellen in the news.
Daily Interlake: Monday, September 12, 2022
Instructor shares practice of outdoor mindfulness with forest bathing
Despite the name, forest bathing doesn’t mean actually taking a bath in the forest.
What it does mean, according to Montana Forest Bathing owner and certified guide Ellen Horowitz, is really up to each individual person. Striking a balance between mindful meditation and jubilant observation, forest bathing invites the participant to look closer at the nature around them and feel the positive effects of simply being outside. Read more.
Ellen lives in the Flathead Valley, near the western entrance to Glacier National Park, the traditional territories of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Orelle.
About your guide:
For more than four decades, Ellen Horowitz has connected people and nature through her work as a naturalist, field instructor, hiking guide, and writer.
Her work has been recognized with numerous honors including Montana Audubon’s Educator of the Year Award, and magazine writing awards from Outdoor Writers Association of America and National Wildlife Federation.
She is the author of the award-winning children’s book, What I Saw in Glacier.
As a Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide, Ellen connects people and nature for the health of all beings that share the Earth.
Her calm, engaging and confident ways easily help people to open up to a deeper relationship with the natural world and themselves.
Ellen is certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.
Plan your session with Ellen now
From custom private sessions to corporate walks, take the plunge on a new experience.
When you go out with a certified forest therapy guide you learn how to slow down and tap into your senses so stress and concerns fade away.
Custom Group Walks
Imagine a gathering where you and your closest friends, family members or coworkers get together to experience a forest bathing session. This practice is a wonderful way to deepen your existing relationships while simultaneously connecting to nature. These walks can be customized for your group’s specific needs.
Contact Ellen for Custom Group Session prices. Pricing is based on the length of the session (from 2-3 hrs.) and the number of participants.
Custom Private Walks
These forest bathing walks are geared toward individuals who are looking for a more supported one-to-one walk with a guide.
Most walks last 1.5 hours, but one-hour sessions are available.
Receive a discount when you purchase 4 forest bathing sessions in advance .
Contact Ellen for more information about Custom Private Walks .
Corporate Wellness
Corporate forest walks are a meaningful way to foster employee relationships while boosting creativity & productivity. Perfect for team building activities and retreats.
These experiential walks can also be customized to your company’s needs (i.e.: walk time/length, trail location, etc.). This type of immersive practice has been shown to produce many health benefits that will translate tangibly into your workplace:
Employee & Employer benefits:
- Reduce stress
- Improve well-being
- Enhance focus
- Boost creativity
- Increase motivation
- Strengthen connections (team-building)
Montana Forest Bathing Gift Certificates
Give the gift of Nature!
Do you know someone who would benefit from being outdoors with a Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide?
This gift card will entitle your recipient to a private Forest Bathing Walk in a convenient and accessible natural area within the Flathead Valley.
Please call or email Ellen directly with inquiries:
Tel: (406)270-1689
Email: mt.forestbathing@gmail.com
What do you do on a forest bathing walk?
Reset. Relax. Refresh.
During a forest bathing session, your guide will lead you on a slow, gentle walk or provide opportunities to sit quietly while offering sensory invitations to deepen your connection to nature.
Invitations are similar to activities except that you can adapt or modify them any way that feels comfortable for you. An invitation might prompt you to notice the sensation of air on your face, to listen for sounds of the forest, or to observe what’s in motion.
Invitations are designed to help you slow down, tune in to your senses and become present in the moment. This allows your brain to RESET from the hectic pace it’s used to.
Once you’re away from the commotion of everyday life, with your cellphone turned off, you’ll discover greater detail in objects you see, hear, smell, taste and touch than you may have previously noticed.
Your mind and body begin to RELAX and that may allow you to feel a little calmer or lighter and, some would say, REFRESHED.
Following the invitation, participants gather to share some of the things they notice. There is no right or wrong way to share, no judgement, and silence is a perfectly acceptable response.
“My destination is no longer a place, but a new way of seeing.” ~Marcel Proust
The history of forest bathing
Forest bathing began in Japan during the 1980s as an antidote to the rise in stress-related illnesses and autoimmune diseases intensified by a transition to urban, high-tech and indoor lifestyles.
The Japanese government recommended shinrin-yoku and encouraged people to get outside and “immerse” themselves in nature for their health and well-being.
As simple as it sounds, forest bathing is remarkably effective. The definition of shinrin-yoku (in Japan) has recently expanded to include “Forest Medicine,” a form of preventative medicine.
Not your average walk in the woods
Forest bathing is a different way of experiencing nature than most people are used to. When you go out with a Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide you learn how to slow down and tap in to your senses so stress and concerns seem to slip away. Once you know how to do it, this simple and fun yet powerful practice can be done anytime anywhere.
Most guided forest bathing sessions vary in length from one and one-half hours to three hours depending on the group / event / weather. Walking distance on easy-to-navigate terrain typically covers only a few hundred yards, but for some groups it may be as much as one-half mile.
Forest bathing sessions can also be modified and shortened, and involve no walking. Sessions don’t have to be done in person. For those who are facing health challenges, forest bathing can be conducted from the comforts of your own home using no other technology than your own phone while you look out a window.
Human nature is part of nature
For 99.9% of human history, we lived in close association with nature. Our relationship with the natural world is in our DNA even though most people don’t know it. Forest bathing helps us renew those relationships with nature, and our sense of belonging.
By current estimates, Americans spend an average of 10 hours a day looking at electronic devices, and more than 90 percent of their life indoors.
Studies indicate that reports of loneliness, depression and anxiety are at all-time high levels. Connecting to nature in a slow, intentional, sensory way has many benefits for mind and body.
Nature is good for our health
Forest bathing is an evidence-based practice that promotes health, happiness, and well-being. The positive effects of forest bathing include:
• Reduces stress and promotes relaxation
• Decreases anxiety, depression and anger
• Improves mood
• Lowers blood pressure and heart rate
• Improves sleep
• Increases energy
• Improves concentration, problem-solving ability and creativity
• Boosts the immune system
Recent posts:
Light Play
It’s easy to look at something for years and never really see it. I was reminded of this one morning in early July when willow branches began to sway in the wind. The dance between leaves and breeze created a shimmer and shimmy unlike anything I’d ever noticed when looking at these trees. For the first time that I can recall, in nearly 25 years that I’ve lived at this place along the creek, my eyes laser-focused on the dark green, glossy tops of the willow blades and the pale green matte surface of their underside. It was a marvelous,…
2024 Summer & Fall Events:
FLATHEAD VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE – Continuing Education Center
Introduction to Forest Bathing:
Wednesday, June 5 6:00PM – 8:30PM
Thursday, June 20 6:00PM – 8:30PM
Thursday, July 11 & 25 6:00PM – 8:30PM
Thursday, Aug 8 & 22 6:00PM- 8:30PM
Wednesday, Sept 11 11:00AM – 1:30PM
Thursday, Sept 26 11:00AM – 1:30PM
Wednesday, Oct 9 11:00AM – 1:30PM
Connecting To Nature From The Back Porch:
Tuesday, June 18 6:00PM – 8:00PM
Tuesday, July 16 6:00PM – 8:00PM
Tuesday, August 20 6:00PM – 8:00PM
Forest Bathing Workshop:
Wednesday, June 26 6:00PM – 9:00PM
Tuesday, July 23 6:00PM – 9:00PM
Wednesday, Aug 21 6:00PM – 9:00PM
Wednesday, Sept 18 3:00PM – 6:00PM
Connecting To Nature From The Back Porch: Thursday, Sept 19 10:00AM – 11:30AM
What our clients say
