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As I followed Darlene Rooney-Keller along a trail on Boulder’s Flagstaff Mountain, I struggled to not bump into the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy–certified guide. Before we set out on our short hike from the parking lot to the meadow where we’d set up a home base for our 2.5-hour forest bathing session, she’d told me we’d be walking slowly, inviting me to focus on the strength of my legs, how my muscles engaged with every step—but I didn’t realize we would be moving that slow.
Long before experts were sounding the alarm about the negative effects of screen time and social media, health care professionals in 1980s Japan were prescribing walks in the woods to combat “technostress.” Called shinrin-yoku, which translates to forest bathing, the practice encourages folks to leave notification pings and recirculated air behind and immerse themselves in the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of the natural world. In addition to mental health benefits, proponents cite studies that show physical perks ranging from lower blood pressure to boosted immune systems courtesy of terpene-emitting conifers.
You might think outdoorsy Coloradans would be a perfect audience for the practice, but as I discovered that day on Flagstaff, forest bathing is about the journey, not the peaks bagged or miles logged. (My Apple Watch clocked my final pace at 0.5 miles per hour.) Once we reached our destination, a relatively open and flat expanse of subalpine forest dotted with boulders and wildflowers, I set up the stadium chair Rooney-Keller had loaned me and sat crosslegged a handful of feet away from her.
She led me through some breathwork and sensory exercises. (Close your eyes; what do you hear? Try to taste the air on your tongue. Focus on the smells of the forest.) Then, she sent me out to wander on my own, in 15-ish-minute segments, with specific invitations: for example, to look for shapes and patterns or ponder light and shadow.
At first, I felt a little silly, and as I walked deeper into a meadow, my mind quickly went to unanswered emails, plans for my daughter’s birthday party, and what was for dinner. I didn’t have time to waste caressing tree bark and watching butterflies. But knowing we were going to share our reflections after each mini journey, I came back to the prompt, allowing wonder at the details of pinecones and flowers—which look so uniform from afar, but as individual as snowflakes up close—to nudge out my to-do list.
Rooney-Keller summoned me back to my seat with a coyote call and interspersed our observations with poetry readings. As we got deeper into the practice, I felt my heart rate lower and my senses sharpen. Rooney-Keller would later describe this feeling as “dropping in”: achieving a semi-meditative, relaxed state of being that opens your heart and mind to connection with the nature around you.
For me, it also laid bare a lot of anxiety I’d been repressing in my hectic day-to-day. Our last exercise was to find a sit spot, a place where you settle in to be still and observe. I found myself uneasy with the choice; as soon as I plunked down, under a large tree with a peekaboo view of snow-speckled Indian Peaks to the west, I began wondering if over there might have had a better vista. Then, I refocused on the fragrant sage plant beside me, a fuzzy caterpillar inching along near my foot, and grasses waving in a breeze—all things I would never have noticed if I’d been hiking by, determined to summit Flagstaff (and snap a selfie to prove it).
Over a closing tea ceremony, for which Rooney-Keller brewed rose hips and Douglas fir, I broke down as I described the parallels I saw in my life and my sit spot. A mom to two young kids, I constantly worry that I’m so stressed about what’s coming next, at work and at home, that I miss the small joys of the now. Well-meaning people telling me to “soak up every moment” of this fleeting time while my children are small triggers immense guilt. Being present is really, really hard.
As I reflected on my forest bathing experience in the weeks that followed, I realized that for me, the biggest gift of the practice was being forced to slow down, disconnect from the pressures of the world, and simply be where my feet (and eyes and ears and nose) are. I may not be able to go on multihour guided journeys in the foothills with Rooney-Keller every week, or month, or even year, but I can use the tools she gave me to quiet my mind and engage my senses for 15 minutes in my backyard. And if that leads me to be more present with the people who matter most the rest of my day, then not a second will have been wasted.
4 Places to Try Guided Forest Bathing in Colorado
Nature Heals Forest Therapy
- Where: Boulder
- Price: One-on-one sessions are $185 for up to 2.5 hours; drop-in group walk rates start at $35
Based in the Boulder area and certified by the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy, Darlene Rooney-Keller (a longtime massage therapist) offers customized, private immersions for individuals, couples, and groups (think: team-building events, wedding-weekend celebrations, women’s retreats) as well as regular group walks.
Above the Clouds Forest Bathing
- Where: Woodland Park
- Price: Suggested donations of around $25 per person for private group walks (four or more guests); public park-sponsored walks range from free to $15 per person
Jane Deming Scanlon, also Association of Nature & Forest Therapy–certified, has been guiding forest bathing walks out of Woodland Park since 2019. Her private group outings include kid-friendly variations and faith-based excursions (Deming Scanlon has a master’s in pastoral ministry), and she offers regular public walks in Divide’s Mueller State Park and Garden of the Gods.
The Springs Resort
- Where: Pagosa Springs
- Price: Included with overnight stay, wellness day pass (from $119), and ambassador memberships
In addition to doubling its guest rooms and soaking pools this past spring, the recently expanded Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs added a slew of wellness activities, including 75-minute shinrin-yoku forest hikes up Reservoir Hill.
Mountain Walks & Wellness
- Where: Littleton
- Price: From $30 per person for public walks
A leisurely waterfall hike inspired friends Lyndsy Fitzniak and Sarah Vochis to co-found Mountain Walks & Wellness in 2022. The certified guides’ offerings, from customized private to regular public sessions (including dusk walks) at the Hudson Gardens & Event Center in Littleton, all conclude with tea ceremonies.
