A summer solstice forest bathing/contemplative walk, or Shinrin yoku, that’s open to the public will be part of Festival Music of Japan during Academy Week at SUNY Fredonia.
Dr. Jennifer Fendya, a psychologist in private practice in Buffalo, will lead the bathing/contemplative walk at the Phillips-Ulrich Community Trail, located in the campus’ woodlot, on Wednesday, June 21 (the summer solstice). Attendees are to meet at the Lake Shore Savings Clock Tower at 3:20 p.m. and then walk over to the woodlot as a group at 3:30 p.m.
“Shinrin-yoku – forest bathing – is a restorative practice of ‘taking in the forest atmosphere’ that supports physiological health and psychological well-being.’’ – Dr. Jennifer Fendya
Research, anecdotal evidence and intuition suggest society has been tamed by its material comforts and technologies and that people would benefit from more time spent outdoors, connecting with the basic elements of one’s physical self and the Earth system in which people are embedded, Dr. Fendya explained.
“Shinrin-yoku – forest bathing – is a restorative practice of ‘taking in the forest atmosphere’ that supports physiological health and psychological well-being. And, around our rapidly heating globe, it increasingly is prescribed as an intervention for healing our human relationships with the other-than-human world," said Fendya, a certified nature and forest therapy guide.
Fendya will lead attendees on a slow meander through the campus woodlot, offering invitations for sensory-based explorations and reciprocity with the land, while stopping along the way to allow attendees to share their observations with others. There is no fee to participate in the walk.
Forest bathing participants are invited to attend the Academy Week's free evening concert, also on June 21, featuring Eien Hunter-Ishikawa and the ARC Edo Ensemble, at 8 p.m. in Rosch Recital Hall.
