Nurtured by Nature Forest Therapy

08/29/2026

Dusk to dark in Oak Park Woods. Ancient oaks and elderly beeches, leaves gently fluttering in the breeze, a maze of intertwined roots beneath our feet, sounds of a vibrant city park, the smell of soil, the texture of bark. The setting sun.

Photo credits Rebecca Fisher-Sedam and Gale Glickoff

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08/24/2026

08/24/2026

Thank you to MSU Tollgate Farm and Education Center for hosting a couple of late summer forest therapy walks. Eleven gathered Sunday evening to experience the cool breeze and the sights, sounds, and sensations in the forest as the sun set and night fell. Something special happens in the human heart when we slow down and allow time for connection with the forest and the more-than-human world. Do this collectively and we learn not only from the forest and ourselves, but from one another as well.

Our LAST Forest Therapy is this Sunday, 7:30-9pm!

Come enjoy the Tollgate woods and enter into a deeper connection with the natural world.

Forest therapy is a slow restorative walk in a natural setting following a special sequence of elements. Join ANFT certified forest therapy guide Ellen Koehler as together we experience the physical and mental health benefits forest bathing has to offer!

Register Here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/tollgate/Program-Event-Calendar/guided-walks

08/22/2026

What a lovely surprise. Thank you, Mary Williams Drouillard, for taking the initiative and time to make such a beautiful flyer. There is still time to join us for tomorrow evening's forest therapy walk. Curious about forest bathing? Come enjoy the Tollgate woods as we slow down and experience the sensations of sunset in the forest.

Register here:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/forest-therapy-with-ellen-august
For additional upcoming Nurtured by Nature Forest Therapy walks:
https://www.nurturedbynatureforesttherapy.com/event-list

08/19/2026

Nurtured by Nature Forest Therapy looks forward to guiding the final forest therapy walk in our spring/summer Oakland County Parks Forest Therapy Series Friday, August 28th, 6:30 - 8:30 pm featuring the newly opened Oak Park Woods, a 17-acre redeveloped section on the north side of David H. Shepherd Park in Oak Park. Join us for a special time of reflection and reconnection with nature during our Dusk to Dark Forest Therapy walk. Experience the healing power of nature.

One last chance to lose yourself in the woods -- but in the best possible way.

Our 2026 Forest Therapy series wraps up with Dusk to Dark Forest Therapy Walk at Oak Park Woods 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28.

Slow down as the sun goes down and experience the forest in a new light. This guided walk uses the sights, sounds and sensations of nature to encourage relaxation and mindfulness.

Take a deep breath and click here to register: bit.ly/3O0H85U

08/18/2026

Such a joy to be back guiding forest therapy walks in the lovely maple beech forest of Tollgate Farm in Novi. From 2021-2024, I guided forest therapy experiences for over five hundred at Tollgate with additional walks held on campus and elsewhere.

Shinrin-yoku, which translates as 'forest bathing', originated in the 1980s in Japan as a way to promote the health benefits of exposure to natural environments. Inspired by Shinrin-yoku and practiced worldwide, Forest Therapy is a guided restorative walk in a natural setting following a special sequence of elements.

Late last month, a dozen of us gathered at Tollgate to slow down, breathe deeply, and explore the sense of calm and relaxation, health and wellness, connection and community the forest offers each of us.

The next forest therapy walk at Tollgate is this Sunday, August 23, 7:30-9 pm. Register here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/events/forest-therapy-with-ellen-august

For additional upcoming Nurtured by Nature Forest Therapy walks: https://www.nurturedbynatureforesttherapy.com/event-list

08/17/2026

Simple pleasures.

07/29/2026

The forest never asks us to prove ourselves.

It doesn't care how busy we've been.
It doesn't measure our productivity.
It doesn't reward us for moving faster.

Instead, it offers something increasingly rare:

The freedom to simply be.

To notice the texture of bark beneath your fingertips.
To listen without needing to respond back.
To slow down without feeling behind.

In nature, presence is enough.

Perhaps that's why time in the forest can feel so restorative. Not because we're escaping life, but because we're remembering how to be fully present within it.

📸: anft

07/27/2026

Tollgate Farm forest therapy walks are back! Come enjoy the Tollgate woods and enter into a deeper connection with the natural world Tuesday, July 28, 6:30-8pm. Forest therapy is a slow restorative walk in a natural setting following a special sequence of elements. Join ANFT certified forest therapy guide Ellen Koehler as together we explore the physical and mental health benefits forest bathing has to offer.

To learn more or to register: https://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?eventID=C6DAD839F3D9D18D9EEC64FC7796A4789A35D7BC7BCB2ABACCF93D5E7AC6DF41

07/14/2026