Sylvotherapy Forest Immersion

 

Welcome friends to Sylvotherapy!!

If you know me, you will get a glimpse into my Earth-adoring nature, often dressed in green, and earthy tones, outside near forests whether I'm kayaking down rivers flanked by forests, or hiking through trails befriended by gentle giants! I suppose it stems from my family on both my mother and father's sides originating from Washington state, the incredible PNW. It's literally embedded in my DNA to love trees, connect with them, and every living being within their proximity.

The forest is my sanctuary. It is where I've found peace, serenity, and healing, on numerous occasions, through big life changes, and healing from trauma. When I see green, I'm immediately at ease, I feel grounded, my flight response is deterred, and my heart rate responds by slowing down, When I feel the sun's warm stream through branches and leaves upon my skin, my smile widens. When I hear birdsong and leaves rustling, I often giggle. When I see deer, I'm profoundly moved and changed, and connect to angel voices of those I've loved and lost. The forest is therapeutic, in spiritual ways, connecting to ancestral energy, lost loved ones, and to divinity. The forest also provides physical and psychological healing benefits, of which I've personally experienced. As a yoga instructor, specializing in trauma and nervous system regulation, my passion is to keep learning, and adding more healing modalities to my teachings, to help as many individuals as possible. This led me to something new and exciting!

A certification in Sylvotherapy, or Forest Immersion Therapy!!

 

What is Sylvotherapy? Rooted in Japan, this healing practice encourages communities to become reconnected with nature, to absorb its healing benefits for our physical and mental well-being. "Shinrin Yoku" or Forest Bathing was gaining recognition as a way to honor and protect the forest against destruction, and as a method to destress and "recharge ones batteries." Yoshifumi Miyazaki researched exactly how plants and trees can improve human health, and developed Sylvotherapy as a structured, guided, therapeutic path to heal our bodies and minds.

 

Have you been described as a tree hugger? There is actually scientific and spiritual benefits from stroking a trunk's bark, feeling the texture of various leaves & branches, and from using our senses to absorb our environment. Do you long for more peaceful days, yearning for a deeper connection to nature, away from our overemphasized technology-based society? Do you want to adopt a healthier lifestyle, away from pollutants both in what we breathe and consume? Yeah, me too, I hear you! That's why I wanted to become a certified Sylvotherapist, and now I am!

 

 

We as humans have become out of sync with the natural world around us. Our society has tried to convince us that we are separate, we have to "go" to places to experience nature, rather than reminding us that we are all interconnected, in this circle of life, just as Mufasa said to Simba. We are bombarded with more noise, more dense population, more urban development, more destruction of forests and species, more toxins, more pills, and methods proven unsuccessful or harmful in helping us heal. In the forest, we find natural, earth-born medicinal trees, plants, and food. It is full of benefits! For example, did you know that a Birch tree can can help reduce our stress and anxiety just by connecting with it though our 5 senses? And that Pine needles are antimicrobial, diuretic, antiseptic, and can help with rheumatism and inflammation, as well as skin conditions? Amazing! Phytoncides are molecules emitted by various trees and plants into the air to serve as a defense mechanism against pathogens like fungus and bacteria in the environment. Not only does this protect the forest, but they are also beneficial to our human bodies and mind! 

HEALING BENEFITS:                    

• asthma, respiratory illnesses 
• eczema, skin irritations
• heart disease, cholesterol, blood pressure 
• gastrointestinal conditions, liver and kidney function
• help autoimmune disorders, increased metabolism, immunity
• bone density, muscle mass, balance improvement
• decreased memory loss, decreased development of cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimers disease
• lower risk of cancer. 
• Improvement in depression, anxiety, mood disorders, self esteem, and Nervous System regulation.

 

 

Some trees emit more phytoncides than others, so the more diverse the forest, the more effective the air will be purified, the more illness is driven away within ourselves. Even mental illnesses like depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and self-esteem have been shown to improve, in addition to nervous system regulation, and improved awareness within our own bodies, and an awareness to the natural world. When we understand this connection, we strive to make changes in our diet, our lifestyle, daily routines, and even a desire to protect more of our natural spaces.

 

 

 

Beginning in May of this year, when the local weather begins to warm up, and the forest becomes alive again with activity, blooming, phytoncide production, animals emerging from their burrows, green exploding amongst the branches and earth, I will lead group Sylvotherapy sessions!

 

What to Expect:

• Gather at our location, meet everyone, and open with pranayama, or breathwork, to ground, and become present in our space.
• Sensory scan of our 5 senses to connect.
• Gentle yogic movement to warm up for our walk
• Approximately 2 hours total walking in the forest
• Meditation near a tree that is speaking to you, that you will absorb specific healing benefits tailored to your needs
• Exploration and community building with like-minded souls
• Sharing knowledge of healing benefits of local trees
• Sharing medicinal plants & fruits
• Selecting leaves, rocks, sticks, petals, berries to create a mandala on the forest floor, a symbol of cyclic connection, and the transformation of suffering into joy.
• Gathering of leaves, berries to end our session with a delicious tea ceremony! 

Stay tuned to my Instagram channel: @andthenthelightpouredin for dates of our first Sylvotherapy session!

Sessions will be purchased here on my website at this link:

Reserve your spot in a Sylvotherapy Session here!

 

With love & light, Namaste

Sasha