Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

Q&A with Milena: Who Holds the Authority in Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy? Reflections from our Pathway 2 Q&A Session – Follow Up 1

November 4, 2026November 5, 2026 admin

Q&A with Milena: Who Holds the Authority in Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy? Reflections from our Pathway 2 Q&A Session – Follow-up Part 1

A heartfelt thank you once again to everyone who joined our Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing & Forest Therapy Guide Training — Pathway 2 Q&A on November 2, 2026.

Since our session, we have continued collecting important and sometimes challenging questions. So far, we have gathered 18 questions across five themes, exploring professional authority, certification, scientific evidence, ethics, commercialisation, and our relationship with nature.

We would like to let you know that we have collected these questions and will take some time to consider and answer them carefully, drawing on research, professional experience and reflection.

In fact, these questions extend far beyond Pathway 2. They are relevant to all three Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training Pathways, as well as our Nature Connected Guide Training TMT®.

We believe these conversations are valuable not only for future guides, but also for experienced practitioners and anyone interested in the evolving relationship between nature, human wellbeing and professional responsibility.

Thank you again for your curiosity, participation and willingness to ask meaningful questions.

Follow our blog and social media for upcoming reflections, answers and discussions.

#ShinrinYoku #ForestBathing #ForestTherapy #NatureConnectedness #ForestTherapyGuide #ProfessionalEthics #TheMindfulTourist

Q&A with Milena: Who Holds the Authority in Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy? Reflections from our Pathway 2 Q&A Session

November 4, 2026November 4, 2026 admin No Comments

Reflections from our Pathway 2 Q&A Session | November 2, 2026

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in our recent Q&A session about Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy Guide Training Pathway 2.

We explored the training structure, practical requirements, certification, professional opportunities and the three learning pathways offered by The Mindful Tourist®.Many of the questions raised are already addressed in our Frequently Asked Questions, where you can find detailed information about all three pathways. However, a few particularly interesting questions emerged that deserve a more considered response. We also received more questions than we could answer during the session, so some will be addressed individually by email. I would like to share five questions from our conversation because they extend beyond the practicalities of choosing a training course. They invite us to reflect on the relationship between people and nature, the responsibilities of professional guides, and the way this field continues to develop.

Your Guide to Becoming a Forest Therapy Guide: A New Edition Is on Its Way

October 30, 2026November 3, 2026 admin No Comments

Books, Nature-based Interventions, News, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

The first published edition of Your Guide to Becoming a Forest Therapy Guide is officially out of stock.

From its beginnings, 2021, what has been aa training manual for our immersive Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy programmes in Japan in 2023, through eight evolving editions, to a book shared with readers around the world — what a meaningful journey it has been.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who purchased the book and shared their valuable feedback, reflections, and suggestions.

The book was never intended to be merely a collection of activities or a set of instructions for conducting forest bathing sessions.

It invites readers to explore the broader foundations of professional practice, including scientific understanding, mindfulness, nature connectedness, ethical responsibility, and the relationship between the guide, participants, and the natural environment.

Writing, like learning and our relationship with nature, is never truly finished. There is always more to explore, question, and understand.

✨ The revised second edition is expected by the end of November 2026

Why Professional Ethics Matter in the context of Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy

October 28, 2026October 28, 2026 admin No Comments

News, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

Why Professional Ethics Matter in the context of Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy

As Shinrin-Yoku, forest bathing, and forest therapy continue to gain international recognition, we are witnessing an expanding landscape of guide training programmes, professional certifications, retreats, workshops, and online courses. This growth is encouraging. It suggests that more people are becoming interested in their relationship with the natural world and in understanding how nature may contribute to human well-being and the well-being of nature. However, it also brings questions that cannot be resolved by enthusiasm alone.

Celebrating Our 2026 Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training Graduates in Japan

October 26, 2026November 3, 2026 admin No Comments

Books, News, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

Celebrating Our 2026 Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training Graduates in Japan! This year, we welcomed participants from 12 countries for our immersive training at Toyouke no Mori in Nara. @toyoukenomori2015

A special celebration of 8 years of friendship with Toyouke no Mori and our third collaboration with The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia. 💚

Congratulations to all our participants! Thank you for the beautiful moments, shared learning, and friendships that continue to connect us across borders.

✨ Next Japan Immersion: 26–30 July 2027

Read the full story on our BLOG

#TheMindfulTourist #ShinrinYoku #ForestBathing #ForestTherapy #ShinrinYokuGuide #GuideTraining #ToyoukeNoMori #NatureConnectedness #Mindfulness #ForestTherapyTraining…

Question & Answer Session about Shinrin Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy Guide Training Pathway 2

October 25, 2026November 3, 2026 admin No Comments

Nature Connectedness, Nature-based Interventions, News, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

Join Our Q&A with Milena — Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training Pathway 2

Monday, 2 November 2026 | 4:00–5:30 PM (GMT−3) | Online

Are you considering becoming a certified Shinrin-Yoku Guide, but still have questions about the training, its structure or the certification process?

The Mindful Tourist® invites you to an online Q&A session with Dr. Milena A. Guziak, founder of The Mindful Tourist® and the Shinrin-Yoku Association.

This 90-minute gathering is an opportunity to learn more about our upcoming 15-week mentored Shinrin-Yoku Guide Training — Pathway 2, explore the educational approach and ask questions before deciding whether the programme is right for you.

We will discuss the training structure, personal nature connectedness practice, professional responsibilities, physical and emotional safety, mentoring and certification requirements.

Why Do We Need Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing, and Forest Therapy Guides?

October 25, 2026October 25, 2026 admin No Comments

Books, Research Articles, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

On our changing relationship with nature, the modern mental health crisis, and the reconciliation between scientific knowledge and direct experience.

I often find myself questioning something as ordinary as the expression spending time in nature. It is a phrase we use so naturally that we rarely stop to consider what it implies. As though nature were somewhere outside us, a place we occasionally visit before returning to our actual lives. But when did nature become somewhere we go, rather than somewhere we belong?

Perhaps this question offers a starting point for understanding why Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing, and Forest Therapy Guides may have an increasingly important role in contemporary society.

Behind the research article: A personal reflection on forests, science, professional identity, and the uncertainty of what we think we know.

October 23, 2026October 24, 2026 admin No Comments

Expressive Writing, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

Writing my recently published article, When Does Nature Become Therapy? Reconsidering Therapeutic Experience, Agency, Professional Guidance, and Commercialisation in Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy, stirred various emotions within me. Some were familiar, others less so. It has been seven years since I left my university job in Kyoto, Japan, to pursue what I am doing today. And now, looking back, I find myself asking a question that perhaps I have never fully answered: What convinced me to make that decision? Was it ever a matter of being convinced? Perhaps it was something closer to an inner knowing, gradually emerging from my experiences in nature. Or perhaps there was one particularly powerful encounter that changed something within me. I cannot say for certain. It might just as well have been the cumulative effect of countless encounters with forests over the years.

New Research Publication: When Does Nature Become Therapy?

October 23, 2026October 24, 2026 admin No Comments

Nature Connectedness, Nature-based Interventions, News, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

When Does Nature Become Therapy? Reconsidering Therapeutic Experience, Agency, Professional Guidance, and Commercialisation in Shinrin-Yoku, Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy,” explores a question that appears simple but becomes increasingly complex the more closely we examine it:

At what point does an ordinary experience in nature become a therapeutic experience?

If We Are Already Sensing Nature, Why Might We Need a Guide?

October 21, 2026October 21, 2026 admin No Comments

Nature Connectedness, Nature-based Interventions, Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Bathing/Forest Therapy

If an individual can develop a meaningful relationship with a forest independently, and if even relatively passive exposure to natural environments may influence physiological processes associated with well-being, why would anyone need a guided experience in the first place?