Forest bathing event in St. Cloud: connect with nature and inner self

ST. CLOUD — Project Optimist Events Manager Alexa Shapiro loves nature, and one of its perks is helping her connect with her inner self.

Shapiro told the St. Cloud Times she uses forest bathing — a method of appreciating nature to reflect upon her emotions — as a way to channel her thoughts in a productive way, such as using the San Diego environment to reflect upon her West Coast upbringing.

Now, Project Optimist is inviting people in the St. Cloud area to join the group in a forest bathing walk at 10 a.m. on July 28 at Riverside Park.

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“Outdoors experiences have really shined a light on things that I might feel nervous or anxious about and has shown me that I do have the capacity to overcome difficult things, especially if I'm tuning into what I'm feeling inside,” Shapiro said. “That's what I love the most about forest bathing, that it encourages you to tap into how you feel and ask yourself what you’re experiencing in the moment, separate from what's happening in your mind.”

Attendees can take what they learn at Sunday’s Project Optimist event and apply it wherever they live, whether that is in an urban setting or somewhere remote like a forest.

“I did it in a city and at a city park that was quite small. I think the beauty of this project is that you don't have to be in the middle of wilderness and away from civilization, like you can literally sit and appreciate a weed or someone's garden or just a tree,” Project Optimist Founder Nora Hertel said.

Sunday's Riverside Park event, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon, will be followed by an open house until 2:30 p.m. Those interested in forest bathing should register in advance on Eventbrite . The Sunday event is available for those 14 and over and is inclusive to all physical fitness levels. There will be food, drinks, music and art at the open house, and no registration is needed for the option house.

Hertel said the project, which is funded by a grant from Minneapolis-based Arts Midwest, is also intended to further the conversation around climate change, saying it can be a difficult pill to swallow, making it hard to talk about at times.

“We don't always talk explicitly about climate change because it's off-putting to some people for a lot of different reasons, political reasons, or it's just hard for people to swallow,” she said. “But I actually think it's very important. Part of reckoning with climate change is maintaining an appreciation for nature because that's what’s at risk.”

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Forest bathing event in St. Cloud: connect with nature and inner self