Forest Bathing Hawaiʻi

10/05/2026

10/02/2026

Reconnecting with the natural world is the ideal way to honor World Mental Health Day (Oct 10). In the tranquil and verdant gardens of Kahaluu Gallery and Gardens, we’ll relax into our senses on a forest bathing walk and follow with an aromatherapy workshop led by the inimitable Alexandra Avery. You’ll leave feeling restored, also with a bottle of your own signature fragrance (created from pure essential oils Alexandra will provide), plus a complimentary copy of her book Aromatherapy and You. This experience also makes a great gift! Bookings welcome at bit.ly/scentsofnature1010.

10/01/2026

In the tranquil and verdant gardens of Kahaluu Gallery and Gardens, reconnect with the natural world! We'll open our senses on a forest bathing walk and follow with an aromatherapy workshop led by the inimitable Alexandra Avery. You'll leave feeling restored, also with a bottle of your own signature fragrance (created from pure essential oils Alexandra will provide), plus a complimentary copy of her book Aromatherapy and You. This experience also makes a great gift! Bookings welcome at bit.ly/scentsofnature1010. 🌺

09/27/2026

For your harvesting, my newest newsletter: Rising and Resilient this Fall. 🍂
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j1b6lm73GJngUFF3unUGS7OSetFfwJCW/view?usp=sharing

09/25/2026

👍👍👍👍👍"How to Live on Earth" is a gorgeously shot documentary that explores how humanity can build a safe and thriving future by working WITH nature, not against it. With the nuanced, witty, and empathetic narration by Benedict Cumberbatch, the film argues that it is still possible to value nature, feed ourselves, and feel human. And it's FREE on Netflix!!!
My favorite line: We don't need the gold. We need the rainforest.
Take an hour and a half and watch it now.

What if the solutions to building a better future already exist?H...

09/23/2026

September 22, 2:05pm Hawaiʻi time.

Today, the September equinox marks a seasonal threshold: autumn begins in the Northern Hemisphere, while spring begins in the Southern Hemisphere.

Wherever you are, notice what is changing; the angle of the light, the temperature of the air, new growth, falling leaves, or a shift in the rhythms around you.

Autumn offers an invitation to let go, making space for rest and transformation. Spring, in turn, invites us to notice what is beginning to emerge; the first signs of new life, new possibilities, and renewal.

These are two distinct yet interconnected moments within the same cycle. Each reminds us that change continually brings new opportunities: to release what has completed its season and to welcome what is ready to begin.

Spend a few quiet moments outside and let the season meet you as you are.

What transition is the living world revealing where you are?

09/17/2026

Embark on an aromatic adventure in the unique tropical flora of Kahaluu Gallery and Gardens with Forest Bathing Hawaiʻi and aromatherapist Alexandra Avery From an array of essential oils, Alexandra will help you construct your own personal perfume to take home. You’ll learn about the healing properties of some of the plants around us and how natural aromas affect the senses. Each participant will also receive a copy of Alexandra’s book Aromatherapy and You.

09/14/2026

Listen to what one participant found when she walked into her own silence this past Sunday. Itʻs all about the MEDICINE OF QUIET. I’ll definitely be making this combination of and part of my regular guided private walk offerings. Mahalo to Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and Quiet Parks International for initiating the inaugural International Forest Bathing & Soundwalk Weekend.
Camp Palehua

09/14/2026

It was an absolutely beautiful day on the mountain for yesterday's first-ever World Forest Bathing & Soundwalk Day. The forest was humming with unseen life--we reciprocated by signaling our gratitude with a group-created piece of ephemeral art. One participant reflected on how she appreciated the series of invitations that expanded awareness from listening to the immediate sounds of one's own body to listening all the way to the horizon. And after learning about the origins of the keawe (mesquite) bean pod flour snack (a diabetic-friendly endurance food) made by , another was struck by the bounty of the land and "how everything we need is here." Integrating and invitations has refreshed my guiding practice and I'll definitely be offering it as a way of experiencing this Quiet Trail at Camp Palehua. See today's reel for more.
Some final words from the late Wendell Berry, an excerpt from "How to Be a Poet":
Accept what comes from silence.
Make the best you can of it.
Of the little words that come
out of the silence, like prayers
prayed back to the one who prays,
make a poem that does not disturb
the silence from which it came.
Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Quiet Parks International