Unexpected encounter with nature!
sea at Merricks

I was walking along the beach on a beautiful summer day, just breathing in the salty air, frolicking barefoot in the seaweed that had heaped up along the shoreline in the last storm. The sea was quiet and calm, just a gentle hint of movement as a light breeze drifted across the steel blue water. […]

Read more
If you ever feel lost, find yourself in nature
Shinrin-yoku pleasures

I have found ‘nature’ to be one of the common denominators in people’s healing journey. Physical healing aside, the natural world is where we have always gone in times of celebration and grief. It’s a place to find peace and wisdom. We all know intuitively that nature provides healing, refuge, peace and clarity. Is this […]

Read more
Forest Therapy: A mindful walk in the woods to de-stress
tree root

On a cold and gloomy Sunday morning, my group of friends stood in a circle under a gum tree, looking at me with slight curiosity. I had led many hikes with them in various beautiful places in Victoria. But Forest Therapy? In my introduction, I explained that Forest Therapy derives from the Japanese “Shinrin-yoku;” the […]

Read more
Take a relaxing “Forest bathing” walk close to Melbourne – Toolangi
forest wind sculpture

Every weekend, I check out the best spots in close proximity to Melbourne for stressed-out city dwellers to escape to and experience forest bathing or ‘taking in the medicine of the forest’. Recently, as I drove through the beautiful Yarra Valley with my friend Richard, I realized how lucky we Melbournians are to have such […]

Read more
Find a quiet place in nature and notice…

It’s now quiet. I notice a butterfly and another and another… vigorous flight over the tall grass alongside the creek. All the sounds of the birds are quietening, as the sun’s rays, and heat, penetrate through the tree canopy. Morning gives way to a sunny afternoon. It had been a long, wet winter. Sitting here […]

Read more