What Is Forest Therapy? Reconnecting with Trees and Nature

Forest therapy is far more than a passing trend. Immersing ourselves in nature can become a way of reconnecting with something deeply human: trees at the heart of our lives, and people once again among the trees.

Remember being a child: the trees you climbed and the dens you built among them. Remember autumn walks in the woods gathering mushrooms with your grandparents. Remember the great tree beneath which your family spread out a picnic.

Trees are intimately woven into our stories, and every day people rediscover that bond. If you are even considering a professional change of direction, have you read the mini-guide before beginning a forest therapy training course ?

What is forest therapy?

Forest therapy begins by going out to meet the tree. The tree within us, the tree of childhood, but also the tree known by the adult we have become: the one in the garden, the one outside the office window, and the trees of the countryside and forests around us.

In forest therapy, the first intention is to move closer to nature, or perhaps to rediscover it. We allow ourselves to be immersed in the particular atmosphere of a forest, woodland or park.

The French word “sylvothérapie” combines sylvo, from the Latin silva, meaning forest, and therapy, from the Ancient Greek therapeia, meaning care or treatment. In that sense, sylvotherapy is our own form of forest care.

In Japan, the practice is commonly known as shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. Forest environments and designated trails have also been studied and used in health-promotion programmes, illustrating the long-standing interest in the relationship between forests and human wellbeing.

What happens on a forest therapy walk?

The forest therapy guide takes you somewhere with trees: a forest, woodland, park or another natural space. And it can even happen in a city — why not?

Depending on the day and the group, you may be invited into playful exercises, sensory exploration, sharing, mindful walking or breathing practices. There is no single rigid format, although the guide holds the framework so that everyone remains safe and the natural place welcoming us is respected.

The forest is a space of freedom, a place where we can create, contemplate and share. There are few straight lines in a forest, only a leafy world shaped by branches, where we rediscover the pleasure of moving through grass and fallen leaves and following the tree that somehow calls to us.

It is also a time for wandering and contemplation. Beyond the exercises themselves, a forest therapy guide may invite you to look at the landscape, touch leaves and bark, or simply sit quietly for a while with the group and the trees.

Time can seem to stretch. The minutes pass quickly and yet somehow appear to stand still. To borrow the words of the French poet Alphonse de Lamartine:

“O Time, suspend your flight; and you, happy hours, suspend your course.”

Depending on the guide, activities may also include tasting edible wild plants, herbal infusions and teas, sit spots, singing, drawing or storytelling. Every walk offers many possibilities, and every professional brings something different because each guide leads nature walks through their own sensibility and in response to the people present.

Who can practise forest therapy?

Almost anyone. Even tree hugs (tree hugs) can be enjoyed at any age.

Children often connect with trees spontaneously: hiding behind a trunk, touching bark or trying to climb the branches.

On a forest therapy walk, however, there is no need to climb. The pace is slow, and you do not need to be an experienced hiker. Even someone who walks with a stick may be able to participate. I have, for example, led forest therapy walks for older adults, including people using walking frames. What matters most is respecting each person's pace and making that rhythm clear to the whole group.

A walk generally lasts between two and three hours. Unless arranged otherwise, my public walks last three hours on Sunday mornings. The distance covered is modest, often around 2.5 km.

You might be surprised by how much can be discovered outdoors in such a short distance: exercises with trees, group sharing, perhaps an herbal infusion, and all the details the landscape offers — insects, stones, tree forms and the discreet presence of wildlife.

If you have questions or mobility difficulties, speak to your guide beforehand so the route can be adapted whenever possible.

For public walks designed for adults, children are generally more comfortable from around age ten and should of course attend with an adult. Younger children can also enjoy forest-based activities, but shorter sessions and groups specifically designed for them are usually more appropriate.

Three simple reasons to try it

Reason 1: Get outside and breathe. Forest environments contain a complex mix of natural compounds and atmospheric conditions, including air ions. Claims about direct effects of negative ions on oxygen transport or immunity should be treated cautiously; the broader benefits of spending time in green environments are supported by a growing body of research.

Reason 2: Open your senses to the forest. Notice the shades of colour, smell moss and leaves, touch smooth or rough bark, listen to wind and birds — and, with appropriate knowledge and caution, perhaps discover edible plants. Add proprioception — the body's sense of its position and movement in space — and the experience becomes even more embodied.

Reason 3: Take some time for yourself, in a calm and welcoming atmosphere. Research on forest exposure suggests that time in forest environments may support lower blood pressure and reduced stress markers such as cortisol in some contexts. Beyond measurements, play, discovery and wonder are also part of what makes these experiences meaningful.

If you would like to meet the trees in this way, join one of my forest therapy and plant-awareness walks on Sunday mornings. Would you like to train as a guide? I also offer a five-day forest therapy training programme.

And if you would like to offer the experience to someone you love — or to yourself — you can also choose a gift card.