Read This Before Your First Forest Bathing Session.
🌲 Read This Before Your First Forest Bathing Session.
By Mark Bucha, ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re craving a little quiet or maybe a reset. Perhaps you are craving that deep, spacious calm you glimpse once in a while on vacation—but you never seem to quite find a way to bring it home.
Forest bathing—shinrin-yoku in Japanese—has a way of giving you that, often faster than people expect. This might sound odd, but it’s not hiking. It’s also not a workout. You won’t be logging long miles or tracking steps. In fact, most people are surprised (and relieved) by how slow, gentle, and restorative it really is.
Before you head out for your first session, here’s everything I want you to know to get you prepared for the experience. Additionally, I wish to bring to light the one mistake (Mistake #3 below) that everyone makes at least once. Even me!
What Forest Bathing Actually Is (and Isn’t)
Let’s clear the air before we dive in.
Forest bathing isn’t about “doing” something—it’s about being somewhere. To put it another way...think about “being present and in the moment”. It’s the practice of intentionally slowing down in nature so your senses can open and your nervous system can settle.
It’s not a hike.
No power walking, no burning calves, no racing to the lookout point. There is no destination.
It’s not meditation.
Yes, people often meditate in forests. However, forest bathing is more playful, more sensory, and way less rule-bound.
It’s not another fad.
Forest bathing is backed by decades of research. The research has shown forest bathing can lower stress hormones, improve immune support, decrease inflammation, improve heart rate variability, and promotes better mental health. You don’t need to “believe” in anything. You just need to show up.
Some of the top health care institutions around the world have added forest bathing as an integrated part of patient’s treatment plans. In fact, I have partnered with the Ohio State University’s Medical Center. They have a growing Integrative Health Department here in Columbus, Ohio
Mistake #1: Treating It Like a Hike
This is the biggest misconception, especially for people who are used to squeezing productivity into every corner of life.
In forest bathing, slow is the point. Slow is where your senses finally catch up with your body. Slow is what lets your brain drop out of its high-alert “to-do list mode.”
Recently, I led a group on a forest therapy walk at Raven’s Retreat located in the Hocking Hills region of Ohio. One woman from the group was halfway up the trail before the rest of us had even taken our first mindful breath.
When I called after her, she shouted back:
“Sorry! I just walk fast, it’s a habit!”
Ten minutes later, once she finally slowed down, she whispered to me:
“I had no idea all these things were out here.”
Exactly! When you slow down, the forest starts revealing itself.
Mistake #2: Trying to “Do It Right”
If you’re a perfectionist, an overthinker, or someone who loves a good checklist, you might find this to be a little edgy or difficult to lean in to.
People often show up asking questions like:
Am I breathing correctly?
Should I focus on something specific?
Is my mind supposed to be quiet?
Here’s my guide-approved answer:
There is no right or wrong way to experience the forest.
If your mind wanders, great… Follow it.
If you feel bored for a moment, fine... Lean in to it.
If you suddenly feel emotional... welcome it.
The forest has space for all of it. Remember - Be in the moment.
Mistake #3 (The Big One): Staying in Your Head Instead of Your Senses)
This is the mistake nearly everyone makes their first time—including me.
Most people don’t realize how mentally noisy they’ve become until they step into the woods and the contrast hits. That mental chatter—planning, fixing, worrying, replaying—follows you right into the forest.
Why It Happens
Most people are likely juggling careers, relationships, family, aging parents, finances, digital overload, and constant stimulation. Your brain has been in “manager mode” for years, and your mind has been constantly bombarded by the fast paced, hard stimulus world.
But forest bathing is about dropping from your thinking mind into your sensing body. In forest bathing we describe this as a “somatic” experience.
On my very first official forest therapy training day, I stood in the woods with my instructor and said, “I don’t hear anything special.”
She smiled and said, “That means you’re listening to hard. Take a few gentle, slow, deep breaths and just be in the moment.”
Moments later—once I stopped trying—the forest seemed to bloom with sound: bird calls, leaves in the wind, distant water. It felt like nature had been present the whole time, but I just didn’t know how to listen.
What to Bring (and What to Leave Behind)
Bring:
Comfortable shoes
Layers (temperature shifts in forests are sneaky)
Water
A small sit pad or scarf for sitting
Journal
Openness to whatever happens
Leave Behind:
Earbuds
Expectations
Heavy backpacks
Rigid plans
Your phone (or keep it on silent mode)
Your Guide Has Assessed the Right Place for Your First Session
You don’t need an epic national park. You don’t need to drive for hours. You don’t even need a “pristine” forest. ANFT Forest Therapy guides are training to assess natural environments for optimal forest bathing experiences.
ANFT guides Look for:
Trees (sometimes just one tree is enough)
A quiet-ish trail
A place where you feel safe being unhurried
Soft ground or a spot to sit comfortably
Moderate foot traffic
Time of Day Tips
Early morning = softer sounds, fewer people
Late afternoon = golden light and relaxed energy
Avoid mid-day heat → harder to feel subtle sensory cues
Seasonal Advice
Fall and spring are perfect for beginners—gentle temperatures and rich sensory experiences.
What Actually Happens in a Forest Bathing Session
Here’s a taste of how I guide a typical walk:
1. Opening Invitation
I’ll invite you to slow your breathing, feel your feet on the earth, and sense what your body needs today.
2. Slow Wander
We move at the pace of curiosity. Maybe you’re drawn to bark patterns, maybe to sunlight, maybe to the scent of pine needles. Go and explore!
3. Sit Spot
This is the heart of the practice. Find a place to sit, pause, and simply witness the forest around you. This is where people often feel the first wave of true calm.
4. Closing Gratitude
We end by acknowledging what the forest offered—perhaps a feeling, an insight, a moment of peace.
A Common Emotional Surprise
At least once a month, someone tears up during a sit spot. It’s not sadness—it's relief. The trees have a way of holding you without asking anything in return.
How to Get the Most Out of Your First Session
Set a Light Intention
Something like:
I want to feel grounded.
I want to reconnect with myself.
I want to unwind.
Let Your Inner Child Lead
Touch moss. Listen to water. Notice tiny things.
Be willing to wander without purpose.
Give Yourself Permission to Do Nothing
This is very hard for adults—especially busy adults.
But “nothing” is where the magic happens. When was the last time you gave yourself the gift to “do nothing” for a while?
Allow Silence
Silence gives the forest space to speak.
What You Might Feel Afterward
In the hours after:
Deep relaxation
Mental clarity
A soft, expanded awareness
Improved mood
A surprising sense of peace
In the days after:
Clearer thinking
Increased patience
Better sleep
Less reactivity
Boost in creativity
Many people report, “I didn’t know I needed that much until afterward.”
When You Might Prefer a Guided Session
You might want to go with an ANFT certified forest therapy guide if:
You feel anxious being alone in the woods
You want a structured experience
You’re attending a wellness retreat
You want deeper experience in the woods
You need help slowing down
Guides provide invitations you’d never think to offer yourself—and those invitations can lead to unexpectedly profound experiences.
Final Thoughts: Let the Forest Surprise You
If this is your first forest bathing session, remember:
There’s no wrong way to do this.
No perfect mindset.
No special skill required.
Just show up.
Move slowly.
Let your senses lead.
And please—for your own sake—don’t fall into Mistake #3.
The forest wants to meet you, not your thoughts.
When you're ready, the trees will be waiting. 🌲💚
BOOK your experience with us TODAY!!!
