The staff here at EAW are aware of how hard NAU employees work and how tough the past 3 years have been for many of us.\u00a0 We are grateful for your service and all that you give to NAU and its students and employees; we attempt to provide groups, workshops, and other experiences that help with work-related and other life stressors.\u00a0 Forest therapy is the newest tool in EAW’s tool box.<\/p>\n
Forest therapy is a practice that involves taking a guided walk in the forest, slowly, with a structured series of invitations designed to help participants relax and connect with the forest and its creatures, with each other, and with themselves.\u00a0 Forest therapy, as outlined by the Association for Nature and Forest Therapies (ANFT), arose from the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing”; when one spends time in the forest, we are literally bathing in beneficial immunochemicals emitted by the trees (called phytoncides), which we absorb through breathing and through our skin.\u00a0 Phytoncides have been linked to many beneficial health outcomes for humans, “especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition”.<\/p>\n
Heather Nash is currently working toward becoming a certified Forest and Nature Therapy Guide through ANFT, so I she will be following the structured sequence as outlined by ANFT.\u00a0 Walks for NAU employees take place on campus<\/strong>, are typically 1.25-1.5 hours in length<\/strong>, and involve walking approximately 0.5-1.0 miles total<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is an open experience, where invitations are provided, but there are no real expectations about how to experience the time; your body knows best what to do, so when you’re unsure, you can listen to it!<\/p>\n Please check your EAW newsletter (in your inbox every other Tuesday) or our Upcoming Events<\/a> page.<\/p>\nWhat should I bring?<\/h2>\n
\n
When is this happening?<\/h2>\n
Additional questions?<\/h2>\n