Restorative Woodland Experience - Autumn Season

Date: 3rd October 2026

Time: 2pm-4:00pm (please arrive 15 minutes earlier) 

Facilitator: Vanina Saint-Martin

Venue: Planetary Healing Community Woodland

Restorative Woodland Experience - Autumn season

This Autumn join us for a gentle and restorative woodland experience designed to help you slow down, reconnect with nature, and ground deeply into your body.

We will begin with an introduction to the principles of forest bathing — exploring why reconnecting with the natural world is essential for our wellbeing, how humans have lived in relationship with the land throughout our history, and how Celtic tree traditions understood the forest as a place of wisdom, healing, and belonging.

From there, we will move into simple mindfulness practices that awaken the senses and soften the mind. You’ll be invited to walk slowly through the woods, noticing shapes, colours, textures, light, and movement. We will pause at a few spots for short guided invitations to touch, observe, breathe, and let the forest mirror what is alive within you.

After the walk, you’ll have time to journal and reflect on what you experienced. To close the session, we will bring the forest “into the body” through a short grounding movement practice supported by a deep, earthy music track. This gentle somatic exercise helps integrate the experience, settle the nervous system, and leave you feeling rooted, calm, and connected.

About the facilitator:

I’m Vanina. For over 25 years, I worked as a scientist dedicated to protecting the natural environment. My professional life has been rooted in the land and protection of water — understanding hydrological cycles and ecosystems, supporting their restoration, and helping safeguard the places we depend on. Nature has always been at the centre of my work, long before it became part of my healing.

Alongside this scientific path, I walked a very personal journey of healing, grounding, and returning to myself. After years of living in survival mode, I discovered the power of slowing down, reconnecting with nature, and listening to the body. This opened the door to somatic practices, shamanic work, and energy‑based healing — not as concepts, but as lived experiences that helped me rebuild safety, presence, and inner steadiness. Through this process, I naturally grew into the work I now offer: in‑person and distance Reiki, crystal work, shamanic practices, and Kundalini Sound Activation.

Today, I bring together these two threads of my life: a scientific understanding of the natural world and an embodied, intuitive approach to healing. I continue to learn every day, and I aim to share what has supported me.

OUR FUNDERS

Thank you to our current funders: Scottish Government/EVOC-ECMHWF, ECCAN, Souter Charitable Trust, Stafford Trust, Volant Charitable Trust, Scottish Forestry and Planetary Healing Centre's Community.

QUESTIONS ? If you have any questions before or on the day regarding this event, please text Vanina:07800980259

If you need any other support or have any concerns please contact our office on email holistic@planetary-healing.org or text: 075 0443 8763.

CAR LIFT SHARE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1146040586448542

WHERE : Meet at The Hut at the Planetary Healing Community Woodland, Cockburnhill Road, Balerno, EH14 7JB. Bus 44 / 44A. At the village, stop at the third bus stop after the roundabout. From there, enter Cockburnhill Road and walk for approximately 15 minutes and at the V junction turn right and walk for 2 minutes until you see the Planetary Healing sign on your left. Once you've reached the sign, enter the woodland and follow the stream, crossing the bridges as you go. The Hut is at the end of the woodland. 

DONATIONS: Our work is made possible by our funders, supporting access for those facing financial hardship and wellbeing challenges. If that’s you, please book a FREE space here. If however, you are someone who can afford to pay, it helps us cover core costs that usually are not supported by funders. Cash donation on the day is also okay.

PARKING: No parking in front of the woodland. Please park near Pirnie Ha' House. From Pirnie Ha', proceed straight ahead until you reach the V junction, turn right and continue walking for approximately 2 minutes. The woodland is on your left. 

WEATHER: Mix of indoors and outdoors session, please bring warm and waterproof layers to wear.

ACCESSIBILITY: If you have a mobility impairment and are travelling by bus, please get in touch with us on 075 0443 8763 — we'll be glad to help, whether with a lift from the bus stop or by reserving a parking space closer to the woodland. Please also allow an extra 15 to 20 minutes to walk from the gate to the hut. Sadly, the woodland is not wheelchair accessible.

EMAIL REMINDER: You will get an email reminder of your event 3 days before it. Please make sure you add holistic@planetary-healing.org to your email address book or safe senders list. Also keep a regular eye on your inbox and spam folders as sometimes our emails end up there. This way you won't miss out on any important updates regarding your booking.

NOTE: On your arrival, please feel free to let us know your preferred pronouns (e.g. he/him, she/her, they/them) and what name you would like us to refer to you by.

CANCELLATION POLICY: Space is limited, so if for any reason you need to cancel, please let us know asap, so we can free up the space for others on the waiting list. Due to the amount of work involved, donations are non-refundable.

WHAT TO BRING: We will provide soup, tea and cups. Please bring a packed lunch and also nibbles to share.

PHOTOS: Occasionally we take group pictures for promotions, reports, funders, newsletter and social media. If you would prefer not to be in the picture, please communicate this to the facilitator on arrival.

Location

Venue: PHC's HUT, Community Woodland, Cockburnhill Road / Buteland Road, EH14 7JB