What is Forest Bathing?
Forest Bathing, or Shinrin-yoku is the practice of immersing yourself in nature; ‘bathing’ in the awesome goodness that trees release into the atmosphere; reaping the benefits from magic little things called ‘phytoncides’ and receiving mental calmness from the fractal patterns, vibrant shades of green and calming blues around us – what better place to do this than the Cairngorms National Park. For more detailed science and facts please check out my blog.
During a Forest Bathing session you can expect to be out for about 1 1/4 – 2 hours and I will guide you through a series of 'invitations' aimed at opening your senses and reconnecting you with yourself and the environment around you. We spend time sharing what we are noticing to the group and finish with tea and snacks to bring our experience to a close and thank the land we have been supported by during the session.
What is Life Coaching?
Coaching as a development tool appealed to me as it is all about looking to where you want to be and how to get there - it’s about the future, not the past. I can see the restorative effects of spending time in nature and believe that combining this with structured coaching sessions is a really powerful tool. Although I am happy to discuss coaching with anyone, I have focused a lot of my training and experience on clients who are, or suspect they are neurodivergent, whether this applies to you or not, I would be happy to arrange a ‘discovery call’ with you to see if sessions might help.
Life coaching is the process of helping someone find the path between where they are now and where they want to be.
It is about setting and achieving goals in many areas of life including business, health and wellbeing, career, relationships and work-life balance. It can be as broad as wanting to find what will make you happier or as specific as wanting to start a new job. A life coach uses insightful questioning to help their clients identify the goals they want to achieve, recognise their current circumstances, consider all the options open to them and choose which actions they will take within a defined timeframe. Life coaching centres around the belief that everyone can achieve their goals through acknowledging and using their own resources, rather than being told what to do.
Coaching is not about your coach giving you suggestions or advice - it is not mentoring or counselling. If you commence a series of coaching sessions and it is deemed that coaching is not the correct support mechanism for you at this moment in time this will be discussed with you directly to find a suitable solution to support your onward journey.
Prices: If you decide coaching is for you, then you can either pay-as-you-go at £45 per 1 hour session or save a bit of money by booking a package of 3 sessions at a total of £120 or 6 sessions at a total of £210. I would recommend 3 as a minimum to ensure we can fully explore your goal and ensure progress with your actions.
Please click here to read more about what to expect during sessions and to see if coaching is the right option for you.
how we care for you during a session....
Basic Group Expectations
Connectedness - We support compassionate social interaction. There is no pressure to share anything with the group when invited, but the group does support you to do so.
Hope and optimism – During our session, the forest and nature around you is the therapist and your guide merely opens the door. We encourage you to let nature support you.
Identity - Everyone has a voice and when sharing please be mindful of time and use appropriate language. We avoid stigmatising or terms that may cause offence.
Empowerment – We understand that life can affect us all differently and if a challenge arises, we take personal responsibility to let the guide know. Some people can find the peace that a Forest Bathing sessions brings can bring on an emotional reaction. If there is need in the group for support, we share this, being mindful of confidentiality.