In an era of fractured attention and bustling schedules, the Shantigar Foundation is inviting the community to do something radical: slow down.
The Rowe-based nonprofit arts and meditation center will host an afternoon of forest bathing on Saturday, April 25 from 2-4:30 p.m., led by Jamie McHugh, a registered somatic movement therapist.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, forest bathing, or the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, is the act of immersing oneself in nature; it differs from a traditional hike focused on exercise. In forest bathing one could walk leisurely, sometimes sit down or do whatever that particular moment would call for, according to McHugh.
“When I think of doing these excursions into the environment, it’s an opportunity to see,” McHugh said. “We can be moving in our regular tempo … [forest bathing] is to soften attention, slow down, to really see what is around [you] and really take it in.”
Didi Goldenhar, co-director of the Shantigar Foundation, said that Shantigar is the perfect setting for forest bathing to take place. She said that the more than 250 acres of land are suitable for an afternoon of mindfulness. The Shantigar Foundation’s late founder, Jean-Claude van Itallie, “would have loved [McHugh’s framing],” and that “what [McHugh] is doing completely intersects benevolently with how [van Itallie] thought about Shantigar,” Goldenhar said.
Those who attend the afternoon of forest bathing are asked to wear clothing and shoes that would be suitable for a hike. Though this isn’t a hike, McHugh said there will be a lot of walking, then stopping “and then walking again,” with an emphasis on taking in the nature around you.
McHugh developed the body-based practice, Somatic Expression, which he said involves five technologies. These include breath, vocalization, self-contact, movement and stillness. These technologies are designed to deepen a practitioner’s connection with nature and foster greater comfort within one’s own skin.
“One of the great things about the United States is that we have so much wilderness available,” McHugh said. “The environment [is] our studio. … It’s one thing to do early developmental movement … in a studio, but to do it in the sand, with the sound of the ocean; it really, in a sense, broadens both perception and experience.”
Historically, Shantigar remained secluded from surrounding cities and towns, as the mission was for people to leave their bustling communities behind them, Goldenhar said. “Shantigar” is a Sanskrit term that means peaceful home. According to Goldenhar, the foundation wants people to slow down and examine the world around them when on its land.
“It feels increasingly important in these times when our attention is so fractured … that when [McHugh] brought this idea to us, it seemed completely attune to our mission,” Goldenhar said.
McHugh said he sent a colleague of his a photo of the location where the forest bathing will take place, and “she was really excited to come up here.”
This event is free for those who register. However, donations are encouraged. Registration is limited to 20 people, and anyone aged 14 or older is welcome to participate. To register, visit shantigar.org.
“The thing with forest bathing is … it’s not about the distance we travel,” McHugh said. “It’s less about distance and more about the fullness of experience.”
