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Immerse yourself in nature to promote health and well-being.
ADOBE STOCK
A Quiet Place
With each breath and step, forest bathing opens a gentle doorway to peace and presence.
By Amity Moore Joyce
When I sent out an invitation for friends to join me on my inaugural forest bathing session, I received lots of interest—and a recurring question: “Will you be naked in the woods?” My husband was one who asked. “No,” I replied with a smirk. “As far as I understand it, no one will be taking off their clothes and running through the forest. I don’t think that’s what forest bathing is.”
And it’s not. As Sarah Vochis, co-owner of Colorado’s Mountain Walks Wellness and my guide for a two-hour experience in The Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Colorado, explains, “Forest bathing is the practice of intentionally slowing down in nature, giving your full attention to the land and remembering that you are a part of the greater web of life.” The “bathing” isn’t in water or without clothing—it’s an immersion in nature. The only undressing, she assures, is shoes. “Sometimes people like to go barefoot.”
A woman enjoying Arashiyama Bamboo Grove in Kyoto, Japan
Where did forest bathing begin?
Shinrin-yoku, translating to “forest bathing,” originated in Japan in the 1980s, when doctors began noticing an increase in depression, distraction, and aches and pains among patients, particularly in urban environments lacking green spaces. Studies in Japan (and subsequently in the United States) have shown that forest bathing reduces cortisol (the stress hormone), anxiety and depression while improving mood, sleep quality and immunity. It also lowers blood pressure and releases muscle tension.
A Staghorn Sumac at The Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Colorado
amity moore joyce
What exactly is forest bathing?
How do you do it?
In short, it’s a mindful, sensory exploration of the natural world engaging touch, sight, smell, hearing and taste. Four attendees, including myself, walk to a spot Vochis has chosen among trees near a water garden. She introduces herself, explaining her path to certification through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, and what we will do as forest bathers. She encourages us to center ourselves with several deep breaths, and then asks us to sit. We do: two women on a bench, one on a ground cushion Vochis has brought and I upon a large rock. She gives us our first invitation—to simply look around and take in what we see. I change my perspective by lying down on the boulder and notice the reflection of water lilies in the pond and, conversely, how the water’s ripples create shadows on the underside of the lilies’ leaves.
The Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Colorado
AMITY MOORE JOYCE
Vochis then asks us to close our eyes and guides our connection: “What do your hands feel? What do your bodies feel? What does your skin feel?” I answer silently: the rough, hard texture of the rock; the stability of solid earth supporting me like a cradle; and the sun’s warm rays. I feel grounded, literally, and in the near-silence, slip into a peaceful space between wakefulness and sleep. I force myself to rouse for her next prompts, which inspire engagement with trees, colors, sounds and movement around us.
Spread of goodies at the end of the forest bathing experience.
At the conclusion of our bathing, we regroup for a closing tea ceremony—an essential part of the practice that integrates the sense of taste. Vochis, a former pastry chef, serves homemade strawberry lemonade, vegan blueberry cookies and other nibbles. As we sip and talk, nature responds in kind: a water snake peeks above the pond’s surface, and a cormorant plays hide-and-seek, diving below the water and popping up again. Seeing the natural world mindfully and with child-like curiosity leaves me feeling calm, peaceful and positive.
Aerial view of Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Where can travelers try forest bathing?
In Colorado, travelers (and locals!) can participate in Vochis’ Mountain Walks Wellness sessions at Front Range gardens and parks, during stays in the San Juan Mountains at the AAA Approved Springs Resort & Spa in Pagosa Springs and at O’Fallon Park in Kittredge on Aug. 22, 2025, from 5–7 p.m.
Enjoying outside yoga on the grounds of Grace Mayflower Inn & Spa, Connecticut
GRACE MAYFLOWER INN & SPA
Fall in New England is a spectacular time of year to forest bathe, thanks to the changing leaves. Check into AAA Five Diamond Grace Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut, for a two-hour guided forest bathing walk. Guests learn sensory practices like “listening like a deer” or “seeing like an owl.” The Mandarin Oriental, another AAA Five Diamond hotel, partners with certified forest therapy guides to take guests on 90-minute sessions in Arnold Arboretum or Charles River Esplanade Park.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan
The Midwest offers some nice opportunities as well, regularly at Chicago’s Morton Arboretum; on Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. at Harm’s Woods in Glenview, Illinois; on Aug. 21 at 9:30 a.m. at the Conner Prairie Museum in Fishers, Indiana; on Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. at Anoka Nature Preserve in Anoka, Minnesota; and on Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. at Thorsen Farm, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but organized by the Glen Arbor Arts Center in Glen Arbor, Michigan.
Headed to Asheville, North Carolina? The city’s North Carolina Arboretum organizes several forest bathing events each year. The next ones are slated for Aug. 23, Sept. 13 and Sept. 27.
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Whether you choose a forest in North Carolina or a garden in Colorado, forest bathing is an opportunity to pause. As guide Vochis observes, “Being constantly connected [to technology] may be pushing many of us to the limit of what we can process, and forest bathing is a restorative way to disconnect from technology and reconnect to nature and ourselves.”
Let AAA help you connect with nature. Find popular parks and campgrounds plus TripTiks, maps and more at AAA.com/TripCanvas.
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