As December comes to a close, we begin to welcome the arrival of winter on the solstice. The long, dark, quiet nights offer us a time for slowing down and give us an opportunity to reset. It is also perfect for reflection and setting new intentions for the new year ahead.

Before you head out for your first Forest Bathing session, here’s everything I want you to know—and especially the one mistake (Mistake #3) everyone makes at least once.

As a forest therapy guide, I’ve witnessed the healing power of the woods throughout the year, and I’m passionate about helping others reconnect with the natural world. Seasonal forest therapy is a beautiful way to align with nature’s rhythms while nurturing your own well-being. Let me guide you through how each season offers a distinct invitation to immerse yourself in nature, heal, and reflect.

Gathering in circle on a forest bathing walk can be profoundly healing — not just because of the trees, but because of what happens between people when they’re held in nature’s quiet presence. I’ve guided many walks, and I can tell you: the sharing circle often becomes the heart of the journey.

Forest Bathing revives something our fast-paced world nearly erased—the gentle, healing act of daydreaming. When you step into the forest, you’re not just breathing cleaner air or calming your body. You’re giving your imagination permission to stretch again.

“Nature deficiency” isn’t a medical diagnosis—it’s a simple way to describe what happens when we don’t spend enough time in the natural world.

Forest Bathing near you in Columbus, Oh and Hocking Hills.

Forest bathing near you in Hocking Hills Ohio: Coyote Run and Raven’s Retreat.

As a forest therapy guide, I’ve seen many people arrive at a walk carrying the weight of mental blocks—musicians stuck on a song lyric, writers stuck on a sentence, professionals tangled in decisions, artists doubting their next move. Yet after a slow, mindful wander under the trees, those same people often leave with fresh ideas and surprising clarity. Sometimes the ideas will even emerge a few hours or days immediately after the walk. The forest has a way of coaxing creativity out of hiding.

An ANFT Certified Forest Therapy guide’s sit spot in Hocking Hills, Ohio.

Making Guided Forest Bathing a Ritual of Renewal

Tea ceremony from a recent forest therapy walk at Raven’s Retreat in Hocking Hills, Ohio.

I invited participants on a recent forest therapy walk to stop for a moment at this pond and notice colors and shapes.

Grateful for nature’s abundance - Chicken of the Woods on recent hike in Yellow Springs, Ohio.