There is a forest is in the middle of Manhattan called the Ramble. This 36-acre woodland in Central Park is a popular urban oasis.
"Even folks right in the middle of the city can get out of the city and kind of chill out and reconnect with nature," said Carla Shotwell, a tour guide for the Central Park Conservancy.
What You Need To Know
- The Central Park Conservancy is offering "Forest Bathing: Signs Of Spring" tours
- Forest bathing is a way for people to connect with nature
- The practice became popular in Japan in the 1980s
- A popular spot for forest bathing in Central Park is the 36-acre woodland called the Ramble
The Ramble is the perfect place in the city for a "Forest Bathing: Signs Of Spring" tour. So what is forest bathing? It has been around in some form for years, but became popular in Japan in the 1980s.
"On our forest bathing tours, we do these different activities to engage with your sense of smell, with your sense of touch, some of your observation, your sense of sight, and use those to kind of be more present in the moment," Shotwell said.
The tours highlight the smells of the forest, and of course the sights and sounds.
Shotwell says that when New Yorkers walk around the city, they tend to disconnect from their senses because the city overloads the senses.
But on a forest bathing tour, it is all about engaging with the senses, and getting some steps in too.
"Some people do forest bathing as sort of a walking meditation. That's certainly part of our tours too — just getting the chance to kind of walk together in the Ramble and enjoy the sounds that are here," Shotwell said.