🌿 Why a Forest Therapy Guide Makes All the Difference

The unique benefits of being guided by an ANFT-Certified Forest Therapy Guide

🌲 Forest Bathing vs. Guided Forest Therapy: What’s the Difference?

You may have heard the terms Forest Bathing, Shinrin Yoku, and Forest Therapy used interchangeably—and while they all stem from the same root practice of slowing down and connecting with nature, there are key differences.

Forest Bathing (Shinrin Yoku) refers broadly to the practice of mindfully immersing oneself in a natural setting, using the senses to experience the moment. You can forest bath in other places in nature besides the forest: the beach, desert, even with a plant indoors!
Guided Forest Therapy, however, is a facilitated experience led by a certified guide, designed to create a safe and structured space for deeper connection. It follows a standardized sequence developed by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT), specifically crafted to awaken the senses, settle the nervous system, and restore the relational bond between humans and the natural world.

While Forest Bathing on your own can be nourishing, a guided Forest Therapy experience offers the support, intention, and container that allows for profound shifts in awareness and well-being—especially in a world that rarely gives us permission to pause.

🧭 Why Work With a Guide?

In our always-on, fast-paced culture, many of us have become disconnected from our bodies, our breath, and the earth. We struggle to slow down, to be still, or to sit in silence without distraction. We often forget how to rest, and mistake doing nothing for being unproductive.

This is where the Forest Therapy Guide comes in.

A guide trained by ANFT is not there to teach, lecture, or interpret. Instead, they are there to hold space, offer gentle invitations, and help you return to your natural rhythm.

Through carefully sequenced experiences, the guide helps you:

Reawaken your senses and settle your mind
Explore nature through a relational lens, not just a recreational one
Let go of your to-do list and drop into deep presence
Feel safe, supported, and free to be yourself
Tune into the healing intelligence of the land

🌿 Meet Your Guide: Wendy Figone

Wendy Figone is an ANFT-Certified Forest Therapy Guide, a seasoned Myofascial Release Therapist, and a Stanford Compassion Ambassador. Her guided experiences are not only rooted in the natural world, but also in deep somatic awareness and trauma-informed care.

Wendy’s unique approach gently weaves together:

The body-based wisdom of myofascial release, helping participants reconnect with felt sensation
The heart-centered presence of compassion training, offering a space of safety, empathy, and emotional grounding
The intentional pacing and specific sequence of ANFT’s Forest Therapy model, guides you back into relationship with nature, others and yourself.

In Wendy’s care, the forest becomes not just a backdrop, but a living partner in the healing process.

🌎 Connection Is Medicine—And It’s Also the Beginning of Conservation

Forest Therapy is about more than personal wellness—it’s about remembering our place in the web of life. When we feel connected to the natural world, we are more likely to care for it. This is the essence of reciprocity: as we receive the gifts of the forest—calm, clarity, belonging—we are moved to give back through care and stewardship.

Guided Forest Therapy is part of a global movement. In countries like Japan, South Korea, and parts of Europe, it is already recognized as a legitimate part of the healthcare system, with sessions even covered by insurance. In the U.S., it is now emerging through certified Forest Therapy Trails—like those Wendy helps establish.

🌿 Ready to Begin?

Whether you’re seeking stress relief, meaningful reconnection, or simply a new way to spend time with friends, family, or your team—a guided Forest Therapy walk offers something rare: a space to breathe, to feel, and to belong.

Explore upcoming walks, private group experiences, or create your own custom retreat on a local certified forest therapy trail 👉 www.somaticecotherapy.com