UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Stress is no stranger in the life of a student. But for Anna Marie Nachman, a solution lies in a wellness practice called forest therapy, which is being offered to Penn State students, faculty and staff throughout the month of October.
Derived from the Japanese practice Shinrin-Yoku or “forest bathing,” forest therapy is a guided walk through the woods intended to disconnect the practitioner from the busyness of their life and reconnect them with nature.
Forest therapy classes are offered through Health Promotion and Wellness, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs, and will take place starting at Sunset Park from 4 to 5 p.m. and 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. every Thursday through Nov. 3. Students can register online. Each class is capped at 15 participants, but there is a waitlist in the case that someone cancels.
According to Nachman — a forest therapy guide certified through the Association for Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) — the benefits of the practice include reduced stress and anxiety, improved mood and a strengthened immune system. Her goal is to accompany and support participants throughout the session.
The practice begins with an introduction to the history, benefits and layout of forest therapy sessions. After this, the guide offers invitations to ease participants into the practice. Nachman said these invitations are suggestions that foster liminality — a state of mind where participants’ attention is focused on experiencing and sensing the nature around them.
Some of these invitations involve standing in silence with eyes closed to allow participants to listen intently to the sounds happening in the nature around them. Others may prompt participants to take note of movements or textures. Participants are given an opportunity to share their findings and experiences after each exercise.
The practice concludes with a tea ceremony, where participants can talk to one another about their experience over tea and snacks.
“Everybody has their own experience. The forest knows what you need,” Nachman said. “That’s where the magic happens — when you’re open and you’re using your senses to experience everything around you in the moment.”
Forest therapy takes a “mindless” approach intended to offer rest and recovery for the preoccupied mind.
“Your brain needs a break just as much as your body does. We are in that kind of an environment now with all of the technology that we use daily. We seldom get a break from it,” she said. “[Forest therapy] helps bring people into their bodies and into their senses.”
Participants are asked to dress appropriately as classes will proceed regardless of weather, except dangerous conditions like thunderstorms and high winds.
Although the practice is intended to take place out in nature for an extended period, Nachman said benefits can be seen from taking a few minutes a day to be near some element of nature — even if that is looking out the window of a high-rise apartment on a rainy day.
“There are so many benefits to this, even just 15 minutes a day,” Nachman said. “Just take a break for 15 minutes and just go sit with a tree, and if your mind is wandering, just notice what is in motion.”