Monica Sander Burns: "Nature is Like a Mirror Into Our Interworlds"

What if I told you that simply walking in the woods or immersing yourself in nature could significantly reduce stress, enhance resilience, prevent burnout, and boost creativity? More and more corporate professionals are embracing forest bathing and forest therapy, known as shinrin-yoku. This involves consciously and contemplatively taking in the forest atmosphere using all of one’s senses. It's not just a walk in the woods, but a practice of being fully immersed in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. This practice originated in Japan in the 1980s and was later incorporated into Japan's national health program in 1982. Researchers in Japan and South Korea have documented a growing body of scientific literature on the various health benefits of forest therapy.   Monica Sander Burns is a visionary thinker and earth-intuitive with a mission to recenter reciprocal, healthy relationships between humans and the natural world. Through her company, SOCIETY of TREES, she works with organizations to align their workplace cultures with the regenerative energies of nature, improving employee wellbeing while maximizing their impact in a sustainable way. She teaches people how to intuitively connect with the living planet by developing their sensory awareness and embodied experience of nature. Her sessions are interactive, immersive, fun, transformative, and deeply healing. By creating a container for people to remember that they are part of nature, she bridges the gap that has arisen between people and the natural world, which has led to ecological destruction and contributes to the illness and mental health crisis in society. Through forest therapy and forest bathing sessions, she witnessed hundreds of people finding deep peace and healing through the support of nature. Her work also addresses the emotional impacts of climate change, manifested through eco-grief and eco-anxiety, and aims to rewrite the narrative of the Anthropocene by learning from Indigenous cultures to become a keystone species central to the delicate balance of ecosystems.   For more information, please visit https://societyoftrees.com/. Follow @societyoftrees for updates.