About Yasei
Shinrin Yoku
On the edge of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley where it meets the Monashee Mountains the Wildcraft Forest is home to the Sanctuary Forest Therapy Centre where twelve different kinds of forest therapy and wildcrafting practices are presented and taught through daily excursions, retreats, certification and immersion programs.
Yasei Shinrin Yoku
At the Wildcraft Forest
1981 Highway 6 Lumby, British Columbia
Discovery Centre – 250.547.2001
Email: treks(at)uniserve.com
This website and all material is copyrighted by the Wildcraft Forest
The Wildcraft Forest School offers skills, insights and
inspiration for creating good stewardship and positive change.
www.WildcraftForestSchool.com
Yasei Shinrin Yoku
and Spiritual Stewardship
Nature is returning as a key element within the human spiritual experience. Don Elzer talks about how Yasei Shinrin Yoku delivers a practice where-by we create a working relationship with nature through stewardship.
Yasei Shinrin-Yoku means “Wild Forest Bathing” or taking in the “Wild Forest Atmosphere”. As a form of Forest Therapy the practice incorporates a spiritual approach when connecting with nature. It includes wildcrafting practices, and includes a tangible understanding of the sentient forest.
Yasei considers the expansion of our health, purpose and well-being as being directly related to the work that we do for the benefit of the forest – the practice considers that we and the forest are “one” and that through this presence the true natural balance of energy can be achieved that benefits both the individual and the natural world.
If we invest in the health and growth of the forest then the forest will invest in us – the medium of exchange is “life-force”.
Four satellite Yasei Sanctuary Forests are also available, each representing different kinds of energies and environments for learning and practicing Yasei Shinrin Yoku and plant spirit medicine.
The Wildcraft Forest offers a unique approach to Shinrin Yoku which is Japanese for "Forest Bathing" and means "taking in the forest atmosphere". We offer Yasei Shinrin Yoku, which incorporates wildcrafting, and includes a tangible understanding and a full engagement with the wild sentient forest. Participants are introduced to the many spirit guides that dwell in the forest. Through the use of forest-based teas we explore the subconscious energies that connect the forest with the most ancient part of our soul.
An example of a Yasei Shinrin Yoku Guided Session might look like this. The session takes place within the gentle terrain of a Yasei Sanctuary Forest. There are meditation platforms and covered areas where presentations and discussions take place.
A typical session will travel participants on a slow quiet walk through the forest. Participants will stop and perform certain exercises and meditations linked to body, mind and spirit. The day will include a discussion within a sacred circle as well as a tea tasting and essential oil experience linked to the primary human “senses”. You can also join your Guide or Practitioner on various treatment excursions and forest retreats.
