4/25 update – The 5/2 walk has been cancelled and rescheduled for 5/9. There are still spots open if you are interested.

I am passing along the following announcement from Reed College’s Wellness committee. This is the 2nd of 2 opportunities (the first walk was held on April 6). Please take advantage of this opportunity to get out in nature and put your mind at ease. The Reed campus is so much, much more than offices, classrooms, and parking lots. If you can’t make the walk for some reason, use the sidebar’s word cloud to find related posts. I particularly recommend posts tagged under nature, walking, sound, and solitude. I also encourage you to start your time in nature with a poem. One of my favorites: Worms by Carl Dennis.

A message from Erica Nukaya and the Wellness Committee to Reed College staff and faculty (sent 3/31):

The wellness committee is hosting two guided forest therapy walks and a plant swap. We hope you can join us!

Guided Forest Therapy Walks
Wednesday, April 6 and Monday, May 2
12:00 to 1:30 p.m.
Meet at Cerf amphitheater

Join us for a gentle, restorative walk in the Reed Canyon or nearby Reed grounds, depending on accessibility needs.

A forest therapy walk (which is related, though distinct from the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku or forest bathing), is more than a nature walk in the woods. It is a guided contemplative wellness practice that invites participants to slow down, become immersed in their senses, and to cultivate reciprocal, healing relationships to the more than human world.

This is a research based framework that has demonstrated a wide array of health and wellness benefits. The practice is adaptable and accessible to all participants regardless of ability, fitness level, or experience in the outdoors. Please contact Kristy Gonyer if you have accommodation concerns that might better facilitate your participation.

Please come dressed comfortably for the weather, and with shoes that get along with potentially muddy terrain. (While hiking gear is unnecessary to participate, the Reed backpack co-op has boots and other gear that all staff, faculty, and students can check out for free.) While participants are encouraged to try to stay for the full 90 minute practice, opportunities will be provided for participants that need to leave earlier. There will also be time together at the end if participants wish to bring a sack lunch.

Plant Swap
Tuesday, April 26
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Meet at the student union porch

We will have work tables, plastic pots and potting soil. You are invited to bring spare houseplants, cuttings, pots, vegetable starts, seeds, and seedlings to exchange with one another.

If you are pruning your plants this spring, save your cuttings and bring them to the plant swap for your coworkers to propagate!

Hope to see you at one of these events!

The Wellness Committee