When Cindy Conlon guides people through a forest bathing experience she encourages people to leave their phones and watches in the car.
She starts by taking them through some meditation breathwork.
“I found it absolutely helps people just drop in. And how do I know? Their eyes get kind of soft. They start breathing more slowly. They start moving more slowly. They just change. You can see the shift,” said Conlon. “It takes really about 25 minutes for people to let go of what they were thinking about, what they have to do later.”
Then she slowly takes them down part of the Three Eagle Trail.
Conlon won’t get too far before she stops and invites people to notice things that are in motion around them: the birds flitting branch to branch, the ants crawling on the ground, the leaves swaying in the breeze.
“One of the things that we really also encourage is not naming, because that gets you in your thinking, analyzing, worrying, reflecting all of that stuff. Because we don't want that to happen. So we really encourage people not to try and name things. It doesn't matter what that bug is,” said Conlon.
Then they continue on, again moving slowly, stopping every so often to focus in on a different aspect of the woods around them through different lenses.
Conlon says they can easily be out there more than an hour without even going a half a mile.
“I have found that the slower you go, the more you're going to benefit,” she said.
That’s forest bathing.
It’s not just a stroll in the woods.
It’s a practice of engaging the natural world with all your senses.
“Now you could have a slower walk where you are looking more carefully and trying to be more present, but again, it's really hard for most people to stop. ‘Oh my God, I forgot the butter at the grocery store.’ I mean, that's what happens to me,” said Conlon. “I'm trying to just be on this walk, but my brain is always, always, always, always going. This is really the only thing that stopped it. I'm not going to do drugs, and I don't drink alcohol. Those are ways that people use to stop their thinking mind. But a healthier way is to be out here.”
Forest Bathing is rooted in the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku that was developed in the 1980s.
Some studies have found the practice reduce the stress, anxiety, and depression while boosting oxygen levels.
“People feel it intuitively. I don't have to tell them the science. I like to, but human beings, we lived outside about 99% of our lives. It's only recently that we got electric lights, and then our circadian rhythm is just totally disrupted because we can stay up all night with light,” said Conlon. “Now we add in driving and expressways, and then we add in social media and this bombardment of information. I mean, we haven't evolved to really deal with that. That's my opinion. I think there's a lot of science around that now too.”
Conlon is a certified forest therapy guide and a certified forest therapy trail consultant through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.
She likes taking people to the Section 9 part of the Tara Lila trail system in Eagle River and forest bathe along the Three Eagle segment there.
“It's got a wide trail. It's dappled light, mostly shade, just gorgeous. It was a natural trail, and I've been using it,” said Conlon. “And then I thought, let's get it recognized as the first one in Wisconsin.”
A one mile, out and back segment of Three Eagle Trail was recently certified as Wisconsin’s first self-guided Forest Bathing Trail.
People can stop by the signage at the parking lot and grab a leaflet that explains forest bathing on one side.
On the other side it walks people through nine invitations.
They focus on different senses like noticing what you can feel in that moment, what can you hear, what do you smell.
Each invitation corresponds to numbered posts found along the trail.
“You go one way towards number four, and then you turn around and come right back. It's point to point, so people can't get lost. Markers on one side and markers on the other as you return,” said Conlon. “The other part about that that I like in designing a trail is that they'll see the same parts, but I guarantee they won't have the same experience coming back as they had going out. I know that because I hear it all the time.”
Conlon says the hope is to have different self-guided cards for different seasons and even different groups like ones geared towards those with autism or for children.
“We're exploring a collaboration for next year, where there will be again a totally different card that families use with their children, and they ideally would pick up a backpack, either from the Children's Museum or here, which they use. It has different activities that are much more experiential and hands-on for little children,” said Conlon.
Conlon hopes this trail will be a more accessible way for people to experience the practice of forest bathing and its benefits.
“Basically by [being] certified, I hope that it gives people the message: It's going to be safe. It's going to be accessible. They're going to have a great experience. They don't have to do any research. They can show up,” said Conlon.
It’s free to use the trail and pick up a card for self-guided forest bathing.
The parking lot for the Section 9 Unit is at 4650 Section 9 Rd., Eagle River, WI 54521.
You can learn more about the Tara Lila Trail system here.
