Enjoy the therapeutic impact of a guided walk through the woods and lakefront of the Siena grounds based on the practice of Forest Therapy.

Each two-hour experience will include brief explanations of the history and science of Forest Therapy, personal reflection time, and community building. These guided events provide structure and opportunity for creativity and serendipity. Come use your senses, then take time for tea with the group.

Based on the Japanese practice of “forest bathing,” Forest Therapy is a science-based experience of wellness and connection with natural environments. It is based on the principle that we humans are a part of nature, not separate from it, and are related to all other beings in fundamental ways. People with limited mobility are welcome — please signify on the registration form in “Special Needs.”

Dates and Details
Sunday, January 19, 2025
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
The cost of this retreat is $25.

About the Facilitator
Julie Kanak is a certified Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. She spent most of her professional life in the nonprofit world, and has worked for a foster care agency, a hospice program, as a professional mediator in the court system and as executive director of an international peace organization. No matter where she was working, she always had time to get out into nature. Julie has also worked as a hiking guide for Trailbound Trips, a hiking company based in Barrington, Illinois. Julie lives in Barrington, has been married to her college sweetheart for 37 years, is the mother of four adult children and grandmother of one delightful little girl. She loves being outdoors and helping people connect, or re-connect, with the restorative and healing power of nature.