What is the difference between forest therapy and forest bathing?

In everyday use the two terms describe the same thing, and most guides use them interchangeably. Forest bathing is the direct translation of the Japanese shinrin-yoku, coined in 1982, and usually refers to the general practice of mindful time among trees. Forest therapy tends to describe the guided, structured version of it: a trained guide, a sequence of invitations, and a closing circle. If someone offers you a forest therapy session, expect a guide; forest bathing you can also do alone.

How long does a forest therapy session last and how far do you walk?

A guided session usually runs two to three hours. The distance covered is deliberately short, often less than a kilometre in total, because the practice is built around stopping rather than moving. Most of the time is spent standing, sitting, or walking slowly between a handful of places along a single short stretch of trail.

Do I need to be fit or experienced to join a forest therapy session?

No. The routes are short and mostly level, the pace is slow, and there is no physical goal to reach. Forest therapy is one of the few nature practices that works equally well for people who do not consider themselves outdoorsy, including older participants and people recovering from illness. Comfortable shoes and clothing for the weather are all you need to bring.

Is there scientific evidence that forest therapy works?

The evidence is strongest for short-term stress and mood. Park and colleagues (2010) measured lower cortisol, pulse rate, and blood pressure in forest settings compared with city settings across 24 Japanese forests, and later meta-analyses point in the same direction. Claims about longer-term or immune benefits are more mixed and rest on smaller studies. Forest therapy may support relaxation and recovery, but it is not a treatment for any medical condition.

Is forest therapy religious or spiritual?

No. There is no belief system involved, nothing to subscribe to, and no ritual you are expected to take seriously. The invitations are sensory and practical: notice what you hear, find a place to sit, follow a smell. People do sometimes describe sessions as moving or meaningful, but that comes from their own experience rather than from anything the guide asks them to believe.

← All articles

What Is Forest Therapy? A Calm, Honest Guide

10 June 2026

Forest therapy is a guided practice of slow, sensory time in the forest. A trained guide leads a small group along a short route — usually two to three hours, rarely more than a kilometre of ground — and offers simple invitations to slow down, listen, touch, and notice what is moving around you. The practice is also called forest bathing, the English rendering of the Japanese term shinrin-yoku. What sets it apart from every other kind of walk is pace: you cover very little distance on purpose.

It is not a hike, not a botany lesson, and not psychotherapy under trees. No fitness, experience, or equipment is required, and nothing is asked of you that you do not want to do. Participants often report leaving a session calmer, clearer, and more rested than they have felt in weeks. If you want the shorter version of what a session looks like minute by minute, read what to expect at your first session.

Where it comes from: shinrin-yoku

The term shinrin-yoku — literally "forest bathing" — was coined by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 1982 as a public-health response to rising urban stress. The idea was radical in its modesty: mindful immersion in the forest atmosphere, through the senses, as a form of preventive care. Decades of research followed, first in Japan and Korea, increasingly across Europe, and the practice matured into what is now called forest therapy — a guided, systematic process of sensory experiencing of the forest (Schuh & Immich, 2022).

One phrase from the international guiding community captures the spirit better than any definition: the forest is the therapist; the guide opens the doors. A guide is not there to teach, to advise, or to prescribe what you should feel. Their craft is to hold a safe, open space in which your own experience can unfold.

What actually happens on a guided walk

A guided session follows a tested sequence with three movements. It begins with arrival: a welcome, a short introduction to the place and the practice, and first invitations that wake up the senses — a body scan, slowed walking, noticing what is in motion. Then comes the heart of the walk: a series of open invitations, each followed by an optional sharing circle. An invitation might be as simple as finding a place to sit and giving yourself permission to do nothing, listening for the music of the place, or letting your sense of smell lead you through fallen leaves and moss.

Each invitation is simple, sensory, open to interpretation, and free of any required outcome. There is nothing to achieve and nothing to get right. Sessions traditionally close with a forest tea ceremony: tea brewed from local plants, one cup poured for the forest, one for each participant, and a final circle. It is a quiet way of marking the return to ordinary life. The invitations are the craft of the practice, and we describe nine of the ones we actually use in invitations in forest therapy.

What forest therapy is not

It is not exercise. The distances are short and the pace is gentle, so no fitness is required. It is not a guided nature lesson either — you will not be quizzed on tree species. If you want the distinction spelled out against the activity people most often confuse it with, we compare the two in forest therapy versus hiking. And importantly, it is not a replacement for medical or psychological care. Forest therapy may support relaxation, presence, and connection; research suggests meaningful benefits for stress and mood, which we examine honestly in what the research actually says. A forest walk is a complement to professional care, never a substitute.

Why Slovenia is made for this

Around 58 percent of Slovenia is forest, the third-highest share in the European Union after Sweden and Finland (Slovenia Forest Service). For most Slovenians, a quiet mixed forest with streams, birdsong, and deep shade is minutes from home, not hours. That makes the practice unusually accessible here: no retreat package required, no travel day, just a guided walk in the woods that were always nearby.

The practice also runs year-round here, which surprises people. Winter sessions are quieter, shorter, and in some ways easier to settle into, as we explain in winter forest bathing. If you are curious how a session feels in practice, you can explore guided experiences across Slovenia — individual sessions, small groups, and programs for teams — or simply send an inquiry and start a conversation. If you would rather compare a few guides first, here is how to choose a forest therapy guide. No commitment, no pressure. The forest is patient.

Common questions

What is the difference between forest therapy and forest bathing?: In everyday use the two terms describe the same thing, and most guides use them interchangeably. Forest bathing is the direct translation of the Japanese shinrin-yoku, coined in 1982, and usually refers to the general practice of mindful time among trees. Forest therapy tends to describe the guided, structured version of it: a trained guide, a sequence of invitations, and a closing circle. If someone offers you a forest therapy session, expect a guide; forest bathing you can also do alone.
How long does a forest therapy session last and how far do you walk?: A guided session usually runs two to three hours. The distance covered is deliberately short, often less than a kilometre in total, because the practice is built around stopping rather than moving. Most of the time is spent standing, sitting, or walking slowly between a handful of places along a single short stretch of trail.
Do I need to be fit or experienced to join a forest therapy session?: No. The routes are short and mostly level, the pace is slow, and there is no physical goal to reach. Forest therapy is one of the few nature practices that works equally well for people who do not consider themselves outdoorsy, including older participants and people recovering from illness. Comfortable shoes and clothing for the weather are all you need to bring.
Is there scientific evidence that forest therapy works?: The evidence is strongest for short-term stress and mood. Park and colleagues (2010) measured lower cortisol, pulse rate, and blood pressure in forest settings compared with city settings across 24 Japanese forests, and later meta-analyses point in the same direction. Claims about longer-term or immune benefits are more mixed and rest on smaller studies. Forest therapy may support relaxation and recovery, but it is not a treatment for any medical condition.
Is forest therapy religious or spiritual?: No. There is no belief system involved, nothing to subscribe to, and no ritual you are expected to take seriously. The invitations are sensory and practical: notice what you hear, find a place to sit, follow a smell. People do sometimes describe sessions as moving or meaningful, but that comes from their own experience rather than from anything the guide asks them to believe.