Forest bathing at Rookery Bay Reserve

A Certified Forest Bathing Guide from Go Forest Bathing offers programs along the Snail Trail and Henderson Creek at the Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center. Forest Bathing is a slow, quiet, guided sensory experience with nature that has proven physical and mental health benefits. It originated more than 40 years ago in Japan, where it is known as shinrin-yoku. The program includes a guided meditation session followed by a series of invitations to use your curiosity and senses to connect with nature and yourself. Look, listen, smell and feel what nature is offering you. Optional opportunities for sharing throughout the program create a sense of a communal experience. Light refreshments are served during the program's closing ceremony, a time of further reflection. Forest bathing is not a hike or an educational program. It is a chance to unwind and relax. It fits in very well with the trends of slow travel and taking a digital detox. Decades of research have shown that forest bathing can reduce stress, anxiety and depression and improve sleep, immune function as well as cardiovascular and respiratory health, among other benefits. The fee includes admission to the two-story nature center with aquariums, touch tank, exhibits, art gallery, butterfly garden, nature store and picnic areas.