Photographed at the Arboretum before the pandemic
After enduring five months of cabin fever amid the Covid-19 lockdown, many Pasadenans are likely eager to embrace any opportunity to soak up some sun. The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is providing a unique opportunity to commune with nature and relieve pent-up stress with a series of “forest bathing” events on Saturday mornings–with a special “Full Moon Forest Bathing” session on the evening of Sept. 2.
Not to worry, forest bathing doesn’t involve showering in the great outdoors. Rather, it is also known as the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku, a form of nature therapy that started in the 1980s and is designed to take participants from a state of physical or emotional stress to a state of heightened awareness and relaxation. The method? Spending time in nature while being guided through meditations called “invitations.”
Led by a certified guide, the sessions are designed to assist participants in finding their own authentic way of interacting with the Arboretum’s natural surroundings, resulting in improved physiological relaxation and immune function recovery response. Encouraged to slow down and use all their senses to observe their environment, participants begin to notice aspects of nature that may have eluded them for their entire lives.
Photographed at the Arboretum before the pandemic
According to Arboretum Communications Manager Nancy Yoshihara, there is no wrong way to perform forest bathing, which was first offered as a regular daytime wellness class in January 2018, continuing until classes were suspended from March to the end of August because of Covid-19. The Arboretum restarted the classes “because the staff believed that it would be a perfect match for a new way of being, seeing and listening among trees, plants and wildlife.”
“Forest bathing is a meditative experience that is profoundly personal and individual,” says Yoshihara. “How participants choose to subsequently practice forest bathing is uniquely theirs.
“One participant has attended three sessions, each time coming away with new insights and observations about herself and nature,” she continues. “The experience is nature-centered, so while the Arboretum is a perfect site for forest bathing, it can be observed in other natural surroundings.”
To ensure that the sessions adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols, the events are limited to 15 participants, who will be required to observe six-foot social distancing and wear face coverings. Temperatures will also be taken prior to each class, and the instructor and Arboretum staffer will ensure that participants keep properly distanced. The instructor stands within a circle and shares the guided invitations without an amplified device. Registration is mandatory here for morning sessions and here for evening. No drop-ins allowed.
Forest bathing classes take place from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturdays, starting Aug. 29, with an additional “Full Moon Forest Bathing” class from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wed., Aug. 2, at the L.A. County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Classes cost $35 ($25 for Arboretum members).
Advance online registration for each class is required, with no drop-ins allowed, and participants are asked to arrive 10 minutes early so that no one risks being left behind. Latecomers will not receive refunds.
