Caring for Caregivers: Forest Bathing

Reflection Park's "Caring for Caregivers" series is dedicated to honoring and supporting the incredible individuals who provide compassionate care to those who are nearing the end of life. If you are a death doula, hospice care worker, chaplain, family caregiver, or anyone else committed to accompanying and caring for others during their last days, this program is for you.

Forest bathing is a practice that emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a response to burnout and disconnection in modern life. Known as shinrin-yoku, it is a slow, intentional immersion in the natural world, engaging the senses to arrive more fully in the present moment. 

In this next program of our Caring for Caregiver series, we're delighted to partner with Ana Leilani Ka’ahanui, a Certified Forest Therapy Guide and Virginia Master Naturalist. Guided by Ana, we will move gently through Reflection Park's woodland trails, pausing to notice what the forest offers, like the light filtering through the canopy, the textures underfoot, and the sounds that fill the silence between our thoughts.

For those who spend so much of their time holding space for others, this walk is an invitation to be held -- by the forest and the community of people who understand the weight of this work.

This program is designed for a small group, and space is limited to the first 16 individuals who register. A waitlist will be available if spaces fill up.