Why I Should Hike Every Day No Matter What by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

I didn’t know how trapped I was

in my own busyness until,

walking past a quiet lake

and up through a lush spruce forest

I felt how with each step toward tree line

more calendar squares disappeared

and all my lists dissolved until

I was nowhere but wading

through waist-high bluebells

with corn lilies rising above my head.

How still my mind was then, still,

as I traversed creeks and clambered

over fallen trees. Still as I climbed

to the place where the clear water

streams down gray cliffs and yellow

monkey flower flourishes on the banks.

I was bathed with gratefulness.

Is it true that to know this freedom

once is to be able to carry it

like a touchstone in my body?

Will the larkspur have any dominion

tomorrow while I’m trapped in a deadline?

Will the scent of summer’s last wild roses

return when I’m scrambling

for just ten more minutes?

Oh freedom, I long to contain you.

That thought makes me laugh.

Yet it’s true. I long to find myself

mid-hustle still linked to the gurgling stream,

its waters so cold I can’t help but gasp.

"If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, does it make a sound?" Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing

Have you heard of this Japanese term Shinrin-Yoku? Literally it is translated into English by "Forest Bathing". Research has shown that there are a number of physical, emotional and psychological benefits to spending time in nature, but the Japanese have taken it to a new level by introducing Shirin-Yoku in 1982 as part of national public health initiative.

In this article from Quartz  the author, Ephrat Livni explains what Forest Bathing is. She writes: "Just be with trees. No hiking, no counting steps on a Fitbit. You can sit or meander, but the point is to relax rather than accomplish anything." The same approach of "just being", "not efforting" applies to Wisdom Walks, also called Medicine Walks. And the benefits are similar too. Nature provides the "medicine" you are looking for. The forest becomes the therapist. As a coach, I provide the guiding to make your walk as rich and insightful as possible. I am a trained Medicine Walk guide and as such, I am combining this time-tested tradition with coaching.

Interested? Intrigued? Inspired? Contact me for an info call or sign-up for an (Inner Compass) Wisdom Walk (discounted until April 15, 2018).