Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs

Shinrin-yoku for beginners

While you can literally experience forest bathing in your own backyard (providing you have one, that is), the world is full of scenic forests where wellness-minded travelers can go solo or join guided sessions. The

( nature andforesttherapy.org) has an online database of guides in North America and Europe, while Japan’s Forest Therapy Society ( fo-society.jp) has identified 62 forest areas across the country as ideal places for shinrin-yoku. In Australia, Sydney’s Centennial Parklands ( centennialparklands.com .au) and Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria ( rbg.vic.gov.au) offer seasonal sessions, as does occupational therapist Bronwyn Paynter and her fellow guides at Nature & Wellbeing Australia ( naturewellbeingaus.com), which conducts walks in and around Adelaide as well as parts of New South Wales and Tasmania.

Closer to home in Singapore, shinrin-yoku practitioner Youmin Yap leads forest-therapy walks in parks such as the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Fort Canning Park through her fledgling ecotherapy venture Xiu Nature Connections ( xiunatureconnections.com). Amanda Yik, the founder of Shinrin Yoku Hong Kong ( shinrinyokuhk.com), does the same for stressed out Hong Kongers, with two- to three-hour visits to places like Lung Fu Shan Country Park.