Yasei Shinrin Yoku
contact the forest
250.547.2001
SANCTUARY FOREST THERAPY CENTRE
Yasei Shinrin Yoku Online Challenge
From anywhere in the world you can download our three week challenges which explore the healing elements of the forest; outdoor fitness methods; relaxation techniques and detox methods.
Sanctuary Forest Day Programs
You can drop-in and visit the Sanctuary Forest Therapy Centre at the Wildcraft Forest and try Yasei Shinrin Yoku.
MEMBERSHIP
We offer an annual Sanctuary Forest Membership that includes a camping pass and access to many activities and events that we offer.
PERSONAL COACHING PROGRAMS
You can enroll in one of our personal coaching programs which we customize for your needs. You may want to have personal coaching sessions at the Sanctuary Forest Therapy Centre or you may want to enlist our services online.
DESTINATION RETREATS
We offer destination Yasei Shinrin Yoku and Wildcrafting retreats at the Sanctuary Forest Therapy Centre as well as our various satellite forests. This is an opportunity to explore forest therapies in different environments that include rainforests, mountain alpine and savannah areas and the deep woods of mixed forests.
IMMERSION EXPERIENCES
We offer different forest immersion experiences for individuals and groups which can be customized by theme, location and length of time.
GUIDE AND PRACTITIONER TRAINING
The Wildcraft Forest School offers a variety of training opportunites if you would like to become a certified Yasei Shinrin Yoku Guide or Practitioner.
Explore our training opportunities:
Yasei Shinrin Yoku
“Wild Forest Bathing
in a Sanctuary Forest”
When we invest in the Forest and the Earth so that she remains strong and healthy then she will invest in us.
The Wildcraft Forest offers a unique approach to Shinrin Yoku which is Japanese for "Forest Bathing" and means "taking in the forest atmosphere". We offer Yasei Shinrin Yoku, which incorporates wildcrafting, and includes a tangible understanding of the sentient forest. Participants are introduced to the many spirit guides that dwell in the forest. Through the use of forest-based teas we will explore the subconscious energies that connect the forest with the most ancient part of our soul.
Each session takes place within the gentle terrain of one of our Yasei Sanctuary Forests. There are meditation platforms and covered areas where presentations and discussions take place. To learn more about the Wildcraft Forest click here.
A typical session will travel participants in a slow quiet walk through the forest. Participants will stop and perform certain exercises and meditations linked to body, mind and spirit. The day will include a discussion within a sacred circle as well as a tea tasting and essential oil experience linked to the primary human “senses”. You can join us for treatment sessions and forest retreats and you can also become a member, which will allow you to drop in and camp in the forest.
about
On the edge of British Columbia's Okanagan Valley where it meets the Monashee Mountains the Wildcraft Forest is home to the Yasei Sanctuary Forest Therapy Centre where twelve different kinds of forest therapy and wildcrafting practices are presented and taught through daily excursions, retreats, certification and immersion programs.
Four satellite Yasei Sanctuary Forests are also available, each representing different kinds of energies and environments for learning and practicing Yasei Shinrin Yoku and plant spirit medicine.
You can join us in the forest through challenges, memberships, personal coaching programs, destination retreats and immersion experiences. You can become a guide or practitioner; and if you’re starting out, you can drop-in or even participate in one of our online Yasei Shinrin Yoku challenges.
The Wildcraft Forest is a pioneer in wildcrafting and has been delivering nature-based education and conservation programs since 1981.
The Yasei Shinrin Yoku Experience
We offer additional services from the Sanctuary Forest Therapy Centre, such as bodywork, ancestral mapping and energy work.
2024 FOREST RETREATS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
We are presently uploading our 2024 retreats please check back.
Within our retreat experiences the Wildcraft Forest presents four different Yasei Shinrin Yoku Expeditions each of them two days and each connected to a different element of energy in the diverse pristine forests of British Columbia. We also offer five and ten day retreats.
FIRE BENDING
Inside the Spirit of an Ancient Volcano
We will explore ancient connections that link the formation of the Earth and the beginning of life with our ancestral connection to places. Each tree and plant holds a story and that story can provide us with healing energy. We will be exploring the power of mixed forests that provide a diverse range of pollens, resins and phytoncides. We will be in the presence of ancient power points as we stand atop tall stone citadels which will provide an opportunity to experience healing minerals. This two day experience highlights the role of the “Firekeeper” and offers elements of ancient storytelling, gathering, craft and sacred medicines as well as protection as we navigate new pathways.
WATER BENDING
The Wonder of Water and a Great River
This expedition connects with “The Goddess” and the Sacred Feminine it highlights the power of the Moon and how her energy is reflected by the water which can present us with wisdom, strength and purification. We will explore the forest at night and participate in her mysterious healing energies as plants push out an abundance of living air with the rising of the Sun. Breathe deeply as water mixes with the forest and thickens life force. This two day experience immersed in nature is about “flow” and how nature creates environmental attributes through observations, feelings and sounds that can help to guide our lives including our rest and sleep.
EARTH BENDING
Connecting with the Earth in an Ancient Rainforest
We will explore the spirit of the land including her soils and how the roots of things connect with everything and provide balance. This experience is about the Great Mystery and highlights the role of the “Warrior” and that of courage as we explore the choice making required for our meaning and purpose. This two day expedition explores the sentient world of the rainforest as we connect with layers of Earth energies including Ley Lines and natural energy points or “portals”. We explore certain mysterious inhabitants which dwell within the deepest part of the forest including the Sidhe, and the Sasquatch. This place is rich in biodiversity as the influence of animals, birds and other beings make connections with us as we develop our relationship with the wild.
AIR BENDING
Exploring Pure Air in the Monashee Alpine
This expedition connects the winds of change with deep and ancient ancestral energy as we search for new perspectives on our way to renewal. This two day experience explores elements of the “Shaman” and the “Cosmic Tree”. We will experience the pure mountain air within the remote alpine of the Monashee Mountains, as well as the pure energy presented by times of lightning and thunder. This expedition explores the wide view, and represents a visionquest into our dreams. From here we will have a clear unobstructed view of the stars and will feel the energy and strength presented by ancient trees as they grow into the rock on the edge of glaciers.
Join us for 5 and 10 day Wild Retreats
Alpine Tundra Vision Quest
A 5-day Shamanic Journey into ancient mountain meadows searching for thunder and lightning.
Rainforest Silent Meditation Retreat
A 5-day immersion into the mysterious healing energies found in the Monashee Wilderness
Sanctuary Forest Design Camp
This 5-day wilderness camp offers a unique Wild Dynamic Permaculture Design Certification supported by field skills in wild dynamic stewardship. This camp focuses on rewilding farms, gardens, communities, remote landscapes and interface landscapes and provides participants with a range of learning environments that includes both classroom and project work in the field.
Are you craving a more intentional relationship with nature?
Interested in tuning in to the way the natural world seeks to work with us?
Ready to create a relationship of reciprocity so that you’re giving back to the Earth? This seven session course connects participants with Yasei Shinrin Yoku and the wild forest atmosphere as they begin to create a real relationship with nature.
This program is part of our membership package.
Click on this video introduction.
Six Pillars of Wild Intention
