Guided Forest Therapy Walk with Anisa George

Bartram's Garden

forest therapy participants in the forest

Anisa George, local theater artist and certified forest therapy guide, will lead a guided forest therapy walk for invited Penn faculty, staff and students at Bartram's Garden.

Forest therapy is deeply inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, which translates as "forest bathing" and refers to spending time in forested areas for the purpose of enhancing health and happiness. Participants are guided to bathe in the beneficial compounds which trees emit (such as oxygen and phytoncides) and encouraged to join in "invitations" which widen their sensory perception and attention to the landscape which surrounds them.

Modern living often causes over stimulation and stress, and this makes us susceptible to stress-related diseases. Our bodies emerged in forest environments, so it is perhaps not surprising that we benefit significantly from returning to them. Multiple studies demonstrate the profound effects of this practice on human health and psychology. Healthcare systems beyond Japan are now considering nature prescription as viable preventative medicine for a variety of human ailments.   

But beyond its very tangible health effects, forest therapy is a way of leaning into the experience of being alive. It is a practice of remembering where we come from, and where we will return; that we are a part of nature, not separate from it. It is a process of allowing ourselves to be provoked by a wider web of being. As Einstein wrote, “Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better”.

This is an invitation-only event, please contact arenberg@sas.upenn.edu if you'd like to request an invitation.