The Forest is the Therapist -The Guide Opens the Door

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When:
December 4, 2016 @ 1:45 pm – 4:00 pm
2016-12-04T13:45:00-05:00
2016-12-04T16:00:00-05:00
Where:
Canadice Outlet
5107 Old Bald Hill Rd
Hemlock, NY 14466
USA
Sunday Hikes

Note: This hike is weather permitting. We will gather at 1:45 at 5107 Old Bald Hill Road, Hemlock. Please park on the road and walk up the driveway.    Bring a water bottle/or thermo with warm beverage, snack, warm boots and one more layer of warmth than you think you will need, as we will be moving more slowly than usual.  There will be campfires at some locations along the walk, so please bring something simple to sit on in the forest. A donation of $5-$10 is greatly appreciated to Deb Denome.  Social will follow at 4:30.  Hot dogs/rolls will be provided.  Please bring a warm dish to pass and your own drink.

punky-hollow-hike-and-nov-snow-storm-020What will it be like to experience the forest we walk through every Sunday in a different kind of way?  Most of our Springwater Trails’ hikes follow a similar routine:  We arrive at our hike site with many cars, put on our boots and equipment, gather to get directions, select our skill group, take off with excitement, talk, talk, talk (while looking carefully down at our footing or ahead a blazes), move quickly to the expected finish time to keep up with the leader,  and sometimes stop for breathing breaks or to photograph something in nature that catches our eye (scenic vistas, pretty plants, or unusually shaped trees). This week’s hike will be somewhat different for many of us….treat yourself to Forest Therapy, guided by our special guest, Deb Denome, Director of Shimmering Light Farm and Renewal Center, South Bristol.  Your experience can help you through the stressful holiday season and will hopefully give you a new insight to what the forest has to offer us personally.

hemlock-lake-alicia-010

A forest therapy walk is a very slow, easy walk that consists of a series of guided invitations that help us enter more deeply into the present moment and the exquisite energy of the forest.  The invitations are about 20 minutes each, mostly experienced individually, and then we come back together between each invitation and share what we are noticing/receiving from the forest.  We will conclude with a tea ceremony that will help us incorporate the forest into our beings to take back with us.   Time will feel spacious, and will fly by, simultaneously. Naturalists, Tourists, Climbers will all participate at the same level on this hike as we travel into the Hemlock/Canadice State Forest – Canadice Outlet area through private property.  

Sun shining on ice piece

 
Forest Therapy is inspired by the Japanese practice if Shinrin Yoku, and the daily practices of all of our ancestors.  In the mid 1980’s Japan launched research to help their incredibly stressed out society by re-connecting people to Nature, of which humans are an inextricable part.  They discovered that the simple practice of walking in a slow, sense-oriented way through forests has a profound impact on mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.  The vast array of documented health benefits includes reduced stress, anxiety and depression; increased immunity; boosted creativity and reasoning; lowered heart rate; and improved mood including a sense of peace, belonging and well-being. The measurable benefits of one walk last up to seven days.  Japanese and Korean physicians now prescribe Forest Therapy ahead of many medications.
 
Deb Denome has long been a Horticultural Therapist and works with people in many different life situations to access the healing power of the plants and natural world.  The forest has been her personal refuge and temple since childhood so Forest Therapy is a natural extension of this work.  Deb is finishing her practicum to become a Forest Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides.  She is also the Director of Shimmering Light Farm & Renewal Center, a non-profit educational farm and education center in South Bristol, NY.
Simple directions to 5107 Old Bald Hill Road, Hemlock. No GPS required.
Rt. 15A to Old Bald Hill Road (north not south Old Bald Hill Road)  Hemlock.  Old Bald Hill Road is across from Rix Hill Road that leads into Hemlock Park and the north boat launch on Hemlock Lake. It is easy to find whether you are coming from the north, south, east or west.
Go up the hill  on Old Bald Hill Road and when you come to a right hand curve in the road, park along the road. Walk up the shared entrance driveway to the cabin back in the woods. (not the blue farm house next door).

 

 

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