A Guide to Forest Bathing - Cathelijne de Wit

By Ceara Carney

Book of Leaves

02/01/23·55m 24s

If you haven't heard of forest bathing before, well you're in for a treat! And no, you can keep your kit on and leave the bathrobe at home. Forest bathing is about bathing your senses in the surrounds of a forest. The mental and physical health benefits of this are astonishing and of course, it strengthens your relationship and awareness of nature. As we head into 2023, I thought there's no nicer leaf to finish out the season on than to spend more time in nature, so I asked the woman who brought me on one of my first forest bathing trips: Cat from Forest Bathing Wicklow! I hope you enjoyed this chat as much as I did. You can follow Cat on Instagram @forestbathingwicklow.

We chatted about:

[05:40] How the landscape differs between The Netherlands and Ireland.

[07:20] What is forest bathing?

[14:30] Other elements involved such as poetry and tea ceremonies.

[19:00] Optimal time spent forest bathing & health benefits.

[24:35] The pace of forest bathing.

[28:30] How certification to be a forest bathing guide works.

[30:50] Some of Cat's favourite moments that have happened on her forest bathing journey.

[38:20] Other eco tips from Cat

[43:40] Random questions!

Also mentioned:

Shinrin-Yoku book by Dr. Qing Li