WALDOBORO — The Medomak Valley Land Trust will offer a “forest bathing” walk at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 24, at the Goose River Peace Corps Preserve on Finntown Road in Waldoboro.

The Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku, or “forest bathing,” is a chance to experience the forest through a special guided walk, according to a land trust news release.

Participants can discover the health boosting benefits of moving slowly and mindfully through the forest. This walk consists of a series of invitations, in which participants slow down and open their senses, while interacting with the natural world. It is an opportunity for walkers to enhance their health, wellness and happiness during this easy walk that covers less than a mile in about one hour.

The hike will be led by Boothbay Region Land Trust Environmental Educator and Certified Forest Therapy Guide Tracey Hall. Part walk, part therapy, Shinrin Yoku blends short, sense-opening exercises with ritual, both within the natural environment of a forest.

“The practice began in Japan during the 1980s,” said Hall, according to the release. “Japanese people were stressed out, and doctors began to search for ways to help them. Walks in the forest were not only recommended, they prescribed them for their patients. The forest was the therapist.”

Registration is required for this free event, and group size is limited to 10 people. Participants are encouraged to wear extra layers and footwear with good traction.

For directions and additional information about this event, volunteer opportunities, or MVLT’s services to landowners, contact the land trust’s Waldoboro office at 832-5570 or info@medomakvalley.org.

The land trust has been working for more than 25 years to promote and preserve the natural, recreational, and scenic character and traditional land-uses of the Medomak River watershed.


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