In the forest, you cannot hear the phone ring
A mentored walk to be still, to appreciate, to listen to the woods
KITCHENER — Bruce Sweet thinks of himself as an organizer of family reunions.
The Kitchener man is training to become a forest therapy guide who helps people reconnect with nature and tap into its healing properties.
“We’re all a part of nature,” Sweet said. “We’re reacquainting ourselves with some long-lost relatives.”
Forest therapy is based on the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, which translates into English as forest bathing. The idea is to spend time in the forest or other natural setting to enhance health, wellness and happiness.
“The intention is to bathe in the atmosphere of the forest,” Sweet said. “Nature is the therapist. The guide opens the door.”
He’s quick to point out that forest therapy is not hiking, but a slow and thoughtful walk through a natural setting to appreciate the surroundings.
“When people are intentional about slowing down and when they slow down and open their senses, that’s when they really connect again with nature.”
When Sweet retired as a United Church minister in June, he was thinking about what he called contemplative hiking. Then an internet search brought him to the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs and he started training in August.
Sweet completed an eight-day immersion course near Ottawa and is now doing a six-month practicum where he takes groups out for guided walks, reporting back to a mentor.
The walks take about two hours, covering only a couple kilometres because the pace is slow. Mostly, the walks are in silence, and phones are turned off.
“Here we intentionally slow down and we listen,” Sweet said.
During the walk, Sweet will introduce a series of “invitations” that are centred around opening your senses to nature. For an example, an invitation could be asking people what is in motion.
After people have time to consider the invitation, the group gathers to share their observations before continuing on the walk.
“There’s no philosophy or belief system to go along with this. It’s really just to reconnect with nature,” Sweet said.
Shannon Walker wasn’t sure what to expect when she joined one of Sweet’s guid-
ed walks last week in Homer Watson Park after seeing a notice in her church bulletin. She admits she was a bit dubious at first. “As it went on, it made more sense,” Walker said.
For her, it turned out to be a great chance to step out of the hectic pace of daily life and “just take in the quiet,” she said.
“It was calming, just appreciating what we have around us, taking the time to do that.”
She found it interesting to hear different perspectives on the invitations from the other participants, and definitely wants to do it again.
“I’m looking forward to a winter one,” Walker said.
Sweet said the purpose is not to fill two hours or get exercise. It’s to slow down, open the senses and take notice. By doing that, people can absorb the “medicine of the forest.”
The walk ends with a tea ceremony in which the tea is made with a plant foraged from the area, such as mint, white pine or hemlock.
Sweet would like to guide a walk every month; people who are interested can email him at brucesweet4@gmail.com.
“I can help set up a family reunion for them,” he said.