Nature Therapy Walk - Meewasin Trail
All events Wellness
Looking for a way to slow down from academic and life stressors? Try some intentional deep nature connection. The Student Wellness Centre is offering students an opportunity to slow down and reconnect with nature! Join Ken MacLeod, for a 2 to 3-hour, 1 km Nature Therapy Walk this fall along the Meewasin Trails. Ken is a therapist at the Student Wellness Centre and a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide through The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT).
The Student Wellness Centre of the University of Saskatchewan is offering U of S students an opportunity to give themselves permission to slow down and reconnect with nature through an immersive, sensory experience where nature is the therapist.
Dress for the weather of the day, rain, or shine, and wear comfortable shoes. Sunscreen, a hat, and a water bottle is recommended.
What is Nature and Forest Therapy?
The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy describes the practice this way:
Nature and Forest Therapy is a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments. Nature and Forest Therapy is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, which translates to “forest bathing”. Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition. We build on those benefits and look beyond, to what happens when people remember that we are a part of nature, not separate from it, and are related to all other beings in fundamental ways.
In Nature and Forest Therapy, people are guided through a clearly defined sequence of invitations to slow down, allow the senses to open, and experience the environment to deepen the reciprocal relationship between participants and the forest. This supports the wholeness and well-being of both. These Slow Walks in Nature are typically one-to two-kilometers long and fit for all ages and physical conditions.
Invitations are open-ended. There is no expectation for what participants should experience or receive. Rather, participants spend time in silence, listening and feeling with a quiet and accepting presence. They become reconnected with their senses and their innate creative potential is tapped, which allows the imagination to awaken.
Event Details
- When:
- Time:
- 01:30 PM - 04:30 PM CST
- Location:
- Back parking lot of Diefenbaker Centre on USask campus