Forest Bathing - Bestwood Country Park - Adult Learning

This course is aimed at those who would like to enhance their own wellbeing, quietly, slowly and in company with like-minded people.

In these sessions you will move away from the demands of your daily life and immerse yourself in the forest and the wider natural environment to enhance your wellbeing and health.  The health benefits of taking time to soak ourselves in nature are well documented and include: improved mood, lowering of blood pressure and inflammation and increases in immunity.

Shinrin Yoku was created in urban Japan in the 1980s to encourage city office workers to improve their wellbeing away from their desks.

All activities are by invitation not instruction. You will learn a little of the science behind forest bathing if you wish and will be invited to participate in mindful noticing of your own mental, emotional and physical senses and your environment.

Session one includes a little history and the generic experience where you can feel the benefits of removing yourself from daily stressors and slow down your responses. You will focus on your internal and external senses of sight, sound, texture and smells of the forest.

Session two focusses on the 5 key natural elements of earth, fire, air, water and metal and how we can use them to enhance our experience and wellbeing.

Session three includes generic forest bathing while learning about forest folklore and its impact on our culture.

You will need to wear clothing suitable for outdoors and with a check on weather conditions.

You may choose to bring a journal.

Funding and Fees

If you receive certain benefits, you may be able to take the course for free.
If money is stopping you from enrolling, please visit our funding page to see what help is available.

Living in England

To book and join one of our courses, you must live in England permanently and either:

• Live inside the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) area (Nottinghamshire or Derbyshire)

or

• Live outside the devolved areas listed below

You cannot enrol if you live in these devolved areas:

• Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)

• Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

• North East Combined Authority

• South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

• Tees Valley Combined Authority

• West Midlands Combined Authority

• West of England Combined Authority

• West Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority

• Hull and East Yorkshire

• Greater Lincolnshire

• Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority

• Cornwall Council

• Lancashire Combined County Authority

• Buckinghamshire Council

Residency Requirements (Additional Information)

If you live in the UK on a visa, we’ll need evidence of your visa to confirm funding. You can upload this when applying, and you’ll need to complete a short questionnaire.

Some exceptions include:

• Your visa must last until after your course ends.

• Asylum seekers must have lived in the UK for at least 6 months while their claim is being processed.

• You are supported by your local authority under Section 23C or 23CA of the Children Act 1989, or under the Care Act 2014.

Anyone who does not meet the funding criteria would need to pay full course fees.