Forest Bathing – January 2023 | SOLD OUT

Details:

It’s a new year and a full moon – relax, restore, reconnect! The full moon represents abundance and transformation, and can signal an opportunity to set (new) intentions and recommit to the most meaningful things in our lives.

Forest bathing honors the ancient human practices of nature connection. Elena Rios will give you directions, in the form of invitations, to assist you in slowing down and observing with all of your senses. It isn’t so much about knowing all of the names of the plants, as it is about noticing which plants you feel pulled to. It is more about being “here” in the moment. As you “bathe” in the fresh air, and immune-boosting phytoncides, you may begin to notice things in a way you may not have ever noticed them before. This practice has the potential to remind us of the Interconnection of All Things and our relationship to the Earth. The event ends with a ceremony of sharing tea made from locally foraged native plants, and some healthy snacks. All you have to do is come and be yourself…and reconnect with nature and the more-than-human world.

The class will meet behind the kiosk at the garden entrance. Your nature connection experience will begin with a walk through the Meadow section, then winds down through the redwood grove and into the Backcountry section. The event ends in the Manzanita section of the garden. This walk includes slight downhill and uphill inclines on terrain that is rocky and uneven in certain portions.

Although the Garden is dog-friendly, participants are asked to not bring their dog(s) to this event.

Pricing and registration:

Garden Members: $35

General Public: $35

Registration is now open!

About Elena Ríos:

Elena Ríos is an ever evolving ANFT Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide and Inter-disciplinary Artist. From an early age, Elena’s family cultivated in her an interest in the exploration and appreciation of nature and the more-than-human world. Elena Continues to participate with traditional circles of learning, wellness, and ways of being that are rooted in Indigenous knowledge. She believes this practice has the potential to assist us in noticing the Interconnectedness of All Things. She draws inspiration from her grandmother, who was a curandera. She has had a partnership as a cultural practitioner with Japanese Shinto Priest, Hiroji Seikiguchi for almost 20 years. Currently, she is an employee of the Chumash Fire Department, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians. She is an indigenous Azteca Chichimeca woman of the Americas with distant genetic Chumash links including multi-ethnic Spanish, Scot-Irish ancestry.” Her guide style is informed by all of these previous life experiences.