Forest bathing is a term that came from Japan in the 1980’s, originally called Shinrin-Yoku (lit. “forest”, “bathing”), and it refers to a special type of forest immersion in which the participants attempt to be fully present in the moment while in the forest, allowing themselves to be permeated by the aromas, sounds, and the peaceful energies around them. The original purpose of this was to reduce stress levels of the Japanese people, but also to help them to be more content and happy.

This system of walking is based on a much more ancient spiritual tradition. In fact, many practitioners of practical spirituality have since the time immemorial used walks in nature to ground themselves in the moment and to discover deeper levels of their psyche. Another name for such way of walking is the mindfulness walk, with the difference that the latter can be done anywhere at any time, whereas the forest bathing, as the name suggests, can be done only in a forest/ natural environment.

The main part of such walk is to be present in the moment by having the senses active, so that the spiritual spark of us, the consciousness, is awake in the here and now. Walking in nature can facilitate this process greatly, enabling us to tap into our true essence with more ease, and to gradually discover the connection between internal and external worlds.

During such walks, we do additional through which we can begin to feel our own consciousness and the forest more. These are activities such as conscious listening, conscious smelling, a light form of visualization etc. These type of walks open us up to the magic of life and help us see that there is more to life than meets the eye.

Some of the many benefits of these walks are:

• Reduced stress
• Improvement of the quality of sleep and other bodily functions
• Learning to have the mind still
• Experiencing the consciousness (the essence of who we are) in a more profound way
• Feeling inner peace and happiness
• Experiencing new levels of compassion and empathy
• Noticing how it is possible to exist without negativity and anger
• Building up confidence in oneself
• Discovering new levels of willpower with which it is possible to overcome addictions and bad habits, as well as further up our spiritual growth.

Where we’ll go

Our forest bathing walks take place on the mountains of Northern Croatia – Kalnik, Ivančica, Medvednica, and Žumberak, the last two being protected as the Parks of Nature.

Transportation

We have transportation organized from Varaždin and Zagreb, however if you prefer going with your own vehicle, you can meet us at the spot from where we begin our walks.

Price and inclusions

The price for the whole day tour is 60 euros per person.

The price includes transportation and guiding service. Lunch is not included.

The calculation is based on the minimum of 10 participants.

Schedule of Forest bathing walks

These walks take place regularly every Saturday. Please contact us for more information.

If you are a group of 3 or more people and would like to take such a walk on another day of the week, please let us know and we will see if we can accommodate your wishes.