A lot of people online express feeling an undeniable seasonal disconnect between the calendar new year and the season of the natural world.
After all, how many of us say we are going to start the gym, a new diet, or make some sort of ‘life altering’ lifestyle change that we over-promise ourselves and under-deliver for January 1st? Naturally, leaving us feeling like failures and re-promising ourselves: ‘I’ll do it next year’.
It’s like this: why do we always feel like starting something new has to be done either on New Year’s Day, the day after your birthday, or a Monday? I mean, as if Mondays aren’t harrowing enough!
If you relate, you aren’t alone.
A large part of the world believes that spring, being that it is the literal rebirth of nature, sits a lot more harmoniously with ideas of personal growth and renewal of intentions.
It is literally nature's cue for a fresh start, or a turnover of some kind. In January, at least in the UK, days are shorter, colder and darker. Wildlife is still in hibernation, and psychologically, so are we!
In a poll done by The Body Coach, out of 20,000 people, 80% of respondents felt they ‘struggled to get motivated in the winter’. Nicola Vanlint, performance therapist and coach, told The Body Coach:
‘It's important to acknowledge that winter is a season that encourages rest, reflection, and slowing down’.
To me, that does make sense. Who feels the get up and go, change your life for the better, gonna-start-a-dit-today mentality on a dark, cold and rainy Monday morning in January? I know I don’t.
If the bitter winter months leave our bodies and minds feeling somewhat sluggish and uninspired, how can we reconnect with our natural rhythm and restore energy? One increasingly popular answer could be hiding outside the realms of gyms, diets, and supplements- and instead, lie within the quiet, mindful practice of forest bathing. Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress, improve focus, combat grief, and help us tune into the natural cycles that the calendar alone can’t provide.
Until recently, I have been roaming around the earth confident I knew every form of bathing. I am only now learning of my own ignorance. So, readers, let me tell you everything I’ve learned about forest bathing, and how you can use this practice all year round.
The Japanese act of forest bathing, otherwise known as ‘Shinrin-Yoku’ came about in the 1980’s. According to the National Trust:
“…results showed that two hours of mindful exploration in a forest could reduce blood pressure, lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol and improve concentration and memory.”
In simple terms, forest bathing is spending time, slowly and mindfully, in a forest or natural environment of some kind and soaking in the atmosphere in an aim to reconnect with nature- a natural factory reset, if you will.
In the UK, forest bathing has inspired a growing wave of businesses, each nurturing communities that treasure deep, mindful connections with the natural world. Among them are Bluebells Forest Bathing and Tasty In The Wild, whose founders I had the pleasure of speaking with this summer.
Talking to these women, I learned that trees release natural chemicals called phytoncides, which are produced to protect themselves from insects and bacteria. When we are outside, we breathe them in. These compounds can boost our natural killer cells, lower stress hormones like cortisol, and make us feel calmer and happier- so there is actually science behind this practice!
Here, you will hear from two experts: Tansy, and Elisabetta.
Tansy Jane Dowman is a nature-based wellbeing coach, life coach and mindfulness guide who helps people reconnect with themselves and the natural world. She trained in dance before spending over a decade in events management in London, an experience that ultimately led to burnout and inspired her to change direction and turn towards nature- along with the help of her late dog. Tansy has a lot of qualifications under her belt, including: life coaching, Reiki, meditation, Tai Chi, Qigong and forest bathing.
As well as that, she also holds one-to-one sessions, group workshops and corporate wellbeing days, often guiding clients through mindful walks in woodland settings. She has delivered a TEDx talk called “Nature: the friend you’ve always had” and has been recognised in the Kent Women in Business Awards. Through her work, Tansy combines practical techniques with an emphasis on slowing down, engaging the senses and listening to the natural world to support emotional wellbeing and personal growth.
Speaking with Tansy, one particular phrase kept popping up: “we are nature”. Tansy expressed to me how deeply important she feels it is for us, as a society, to remember that we are nature too- we run in cycles, just like the seasons: “your body is nature, you belong to nature- that’s where we kind of… begin this return home”. Speaking on ‘wellness myths’, Tansy expressed her passions for the simplicity within nature healing- no cost, no ‘hack’ healing, “nowerdays, there are so many ‘life hacks’, you know? Bio hacks and ’a gazillon’ supplements that you can take and… ‘nervous-system reset hacks’… sometimes the wellness industry is becoming so complex.
She goes on: you can’t ‘hack’ a nervous system that wants to just simply be held”
Tansy credits her late dog for her career shift, and recounts the days she experienced burn out and corporate fatigue- whilst touching on topics like the female experience and their biological ties to nature, before revealing who she would choose, dead or alive, to join her for a forest bathing session…
“I think we are all works in progress… you’re never really broken, you don’t need to be fixed-what I would say is: maybe you just need to remember who you are.”
Elisabetta Murgia is a Forest Bathing guide based in North West London who leads mindful walks in local woodlands, come rain or shine. Ms Murgia’s path into forest bathing began after a period of significant personal upheaval and bereavement. Seeking a new direction, she trained with The Forest Bathing Institute and discovered how guiding others in nature could combine mindfulness, healing, and connection. Inspired by this work, she went on to establish her own venture, Bluebells Forest Bathing.
Elisabetta is also certified in Outdoor First Aid, Mental Health First Aid, and Grief First Aid, allowing her to support participants safely and sensitively. Elisabetta Murgia was recently granted the ‘Best Health and Wellbeing Facility’ award by the 2025 ‘Greater London Business Awards’, recognising her work with Bluebells Forest Bathing. Taking to her LinkedIn profile, she said:
“To receive this award now feels incredibly special, like a quiet affirmation that the work I have poured my heart into continues to hold meaning, even when I needed to pause. I love my job and to be seen and celebrated feels deeply meaningful.”
Attached below, you’ll find my meeting with Elisabetta- where she shares with me her personal journey, and deep dives into the science behind forest bathing- particularly how phyntoncides can improve our health; she experienced this herself after spending so much time breathing these compounds in during forest bathing sessions, and seeing herself cured from lifelong struggles with hayfever. She said: The benefits are all backed up by science… Hugging a tree up to more than 21 seconds helps to produce the oxytocin in our body”
Elisabetta notes the importance of taking things slowly and the parallels that can be drawn between modern human lives and the inner biological workings of nature: “we need to learn to be more patient. Often, we are always in a rush…”
She continues: “nature follows the cycle, and nature doesn’t really rush”. She touches on the impact of the digital age on our wellness, the health benefits in dirt, and why if she could, she would take Judy Dench forest bathing.
“I think everybody feels a bit better in nature.”
Thinking of hugging a tree,
Logging out,
Kaitlyn.
