Damselfly Forest Therapy

09/10/2026

Check out this great article from the Harvard Gazette on why intentional time in nature is good medicine:

Susan Abookire, a Harvard Medical School forest therapy guide, explains what a daily dose of nature does for the body.

09/10/2026

🍂 Join a guided walk in nature to mark the turn of the season of light to the darker half of the year.

At 7:05 PM—while we're still on the trail—the sun will cross the equator and autumn will officially begin.

Together, we’ll explore the balance of light and darkness as we cross the threshold into fall. 🌓

🍂 The Gentle Turning: A guided forest therapy walk
📅 Sept. 22 | 6-7:30 PM
📍 Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo
🎟️ $35

Walks are limited to 12 people to ensure a calm atmosphere and personal attention.

👉 Reserve your spot today: https://www.damselflyforesttherapy.com/event-details/the-gentle-turning-a-guided-forest-therapy-walk

09/06/2026

🍂On Thursday, Sept. 10 from 6-8 PM at Assisi Heights Spirituality Center , certified forest therapy guide Nicole Brudos Ferrara will guide a walk to welcome the first hints of fall.

This walk coincides with the setting of the sun and the transition from twilight to darkness, mirroring our transition into fall and the darker half of the year. 🌓

This is a gentle, structured opportunity to slow down, reconnect with the present moment, and experience a sense of calm in a supportive outdoor setting. 🌳

👉Reserve your spot: https://rochesterfranciscan.org/events/welcoming-autumn-a-guided-forest-therapy-walk/

🍂🌿 Welcoming Autumn: A Guided Forest Therapy Walk 🌿🍂

Thursday, September 10 | 6:00–8:00pm
$39 | In-Person
Presenter: Nicole Brudos Ferrara

🍁 Welcome autumn by slowing down and immersing yourself in the beauty of the season through sight, sound, scent, taste, touch, and presence.

🌲 This gentle, guided forest therapy walk offers a chance to reconnect with the present moment and experience a sense of calm in a supportive outdoor setting. The experience includes guided sensory invitations, quiet time for personal reflection, optional sharing, and a closing tea ritual with light refreshments. 🍵

✨ No prior experience is needed. The walk covers less than one mile at a slow pace, with frequent opportunities to pause and take in your surroundings.

👣 Ages 16+. Participants under 18 must attend with a parent or legal guardian.

📅 Please register soon! Programs that do not meet the minimum enrollment two days before the scheduled date will be cancelled.

🔗 Learn more and register: https://rochesterfranciscan.org/events/welcoming-autumn-a-guided-forest-therapy-walk/

09/02/2026

Life is short. Be sure to pause and admire the gentle orange flutter of a butterfly's wings.

If you could use more moments like this, join my next forest therapy walk and learn what happens when you align your pace with Mother Nature's.

Register for my fall events here: https://www.damselflyforesttherapy.com/event-list

08/26/2026

You're invited to join a guided walk in nature to mark the turn of the season of light to the darker half of the year.

At 7:05 PM—while we're still on the trail—the sun will cross the equator and autumn will officially begin.

Together, we’ll explore the balance of light and darkness as we cross the threshold into fall.

🍂 The Gentle Turning: A Guided Forest Therapy Walk
⌚ 6-7:30 PM
📆 Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026
📍 Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo
🎟$35

Ready to welcome autumn?

Register here: https://www.damselflyforesttherapy.com/event-details/the-gentle-turning-a-guided-forest-therapy-walk

08/05/2026

🌿 Communing with the Living World 🌿

Step away from the busyness of daily life and reconnect with nature through a guided forest therapy walk.

Inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), this gentle, two-hour experience invites you to slow down, engage your senses, and deepen your relationship with the living world. Research suggests forest therapy can reduce stress, improve mood, and support overall wellbeing.

This is not a hike or fitness activity. We'll move at a relaxed pace with time to pause, reflect, and simply be present in nature. The experience concludes with tea shared together.

📅 Thursday, August 20
🕡 6:30–8:30 p.m.
📍 Assisi Heights
💲 $39
👥 Ages 15 and older

Take a deep breath, unplug, and experience the healing power of the natural world.

Register today: https://rochesterfranciscan.org/events/

07/23/2026

You're invited to spend an evening slowing down in nature.

Join me for "Communing with the Living World," a guided forest therapy walk at beautiful Assisi Heights Spirituality Center .

🌿 Thursday, August 20
🕕 6–8 PM
📍 Rochester, Minnesota

Forest therapy isn't about hiking or exercise. It's a gentle, guided experience that helps us reconnect with the living world through our senses, curiosity, and presence.

I'd love to share this evening with you.

Learn more and register here:
https://rochesterfranciscan.org/events/communing-with-the-living-world-2/

07/23/2026

We often think of nature as something to look at.

But what if, for a moment, you simply listened?

The voice of a river is water rushing over stones—a living chorus that has been singing far longer than we've existed as a species.

Forest therapy invites us to slow down long enough to notice what the more-than-human world is saying.

🎧 Turn up the volume, close your eyes, and spend a few moments listening.

When was the last time you paused to really listen to a river?

🌿

07/22/2026

This tiny toadlet is only weeks removed from life as a tadpole.

Over the next two to three years, it will quietly grow into adulthood, helping keep insect populations in balance along the way.

It's a reminder that entire lifetimes are unfolding beneath our feet every day.

One of the gifts of forest therapy is learning to slow down enough to see these small wonders. What have you noticed in nature lately?

🌿

07/16/2026

Studies (like this one: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7345658/) have shown that trees are associated with multiple health benefits. This is great news for Rochester, Minnesota residents!

More trees are coming to Rochester!

Thanks to more than $928,000 in grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Rochester is expanding its urban forest and investing in healthier neighborhoods.

• A $500,000 ReLeaf Grant will support pruning and maintenance of boulevard trees throughout Rochester.
• A $428,450 Shade Tree Bonding Grant will fund the planting of approximately 1,025 trees in public rights-of-way in Rochester neighborhoods identified by the USDA Forest Service as having lower tree canopy coverage and a greater need for investment.

Together, these investments will help grow Rochester's tree canopy and strengthen the long-term health of the community's urban forest.

Learn more: https://www.rochestermn.gov/news/posts/city-of-rochester-to-plant-more-than-1-000-trees-and-expand-urban-forest-through-state-grants/