I was intrigued to read about this topic. It was very short. I loved the style and lovely illustrations. I wish it had more information or offerings.

Wild Walking serves as a captivating and thorough guide to forest bathing, offering practical advice and seasonal inspiration for immersing oneself in nature. With its insightful tips on what to observe and listen for each season, it provides an enriching experience for anyone seeking to connect with the natural world. I'm looking forward to trying Forest Bathing for the first time!

A big thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this beautiful book.

I was surprised that i actually do this without knowing what it was! What a surprise this book was for me. Beautifully written, beautiful nature, i will be buying this for sure when it is released, i bet its going to be stunning x

This is a beautiful book that explains and gives examples through the seasons of forest bathing. The book has lovely illustrations that feel ethereal and inviting. A short, sweet read that makes you feel at peace.

The illustrations are beautiful and while I didn't find the book groundbreaking, it does what it is set up to do and I really enjoyed the chapters on Seasons.

This was a beautifully illustrated and delightful book. I found a lot of inspiration from reading this book, and I am excited to start forest bathing myself.

What a lovely book this would be to gift someone! A book with simple descriptions of forest bathing and why it’s helpful, including teaching children about it. I love all the beautiful illustrations too! Great read!

“Wild Walking” is more than just a book; it’s an invitation to step away from the noise of daily life and immerse yourself in the serene beauty of forests. Dr. Sakura Tanaka, a renowned forest therapy expert, takes readers on a journey through the lush green canopies, inviting us to experience the profound benefits of this restorative practice. The book is an eloquent reminder that nature is our greatest healer and the illustrations were an amazing addition. They matched the tone of the book and kept me engaged. My one critique is that the writing could have been edited down to create a really balanced read between the art snd the text. Aside from a few unnecessary words and phrases, I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Wild Walking, by Melanie Choukas-Bradley delivers on its promise to provide deep wisdom about mindful forest bathing, a Japanese technique for providing nature therapy called shin-yrin yoku. This book is suitable for a coffee table at around 100 pages, easy to read through in a single day, and provides beautiful watercolor-style illustrations to accompany the advice. Choukas-Bradley also lends her years of experience as a certified nature and forest therapy guide who regularly leads tours in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of the book, Choukas-Bradley discusses how nature factored into her childhood fascination with snowflakes and describes her own journey to discover the Japanese cultural origins of shin-yrin yoku and its equivalents around the world: waldensamkeit in German and fruluftsliv in Norwegian. She then makes a case for why "we belong in nature" as human beings and how forest bathing is beneficial. For example, in the chapter "Being in Nature is Good for Us," Choukas-Bradley writes that "forest bathing lowers your blood pressure, pulse rate, and cortisol levels; increases heart rate variability (a good thing); and improves mood" (17). The organization of the rest of the book takes us through each season with suggestions for how to best utilize the season's wonders in a forest bathing practice. In Autumn, for example, she encourages forest bathers to enjoy a glass of apple cider or wine. In Spring, she talks about discovering the buds on the trees and noticing their variances. She then delves into compatible mindfulness practices such as artwork, yoga, meditation, journaling, or exercise that might accompany a forest bathing session. Finally, she makes a case for how forest bathing might be beneficial for all with slight adaptations for age. It was very touching when she wrote about taking the elderly with mobility limitations into nature: "Feeling like you are a part of the web of being can bring you out of any isolation you may feel and into the light of nature's joys." She also has a chapter on grief and problem-solving, addressing the emotional needs that can be filled with nature's help. Choukas-Bradley's style reflects her passion for nature as she provides highly descriptive and beautiful bits of imagery for every part of nature suggested for exploration. Her sentences flow much like the feelings she hopes her book will inspire. However, some sentences overuse semi-colons and commas, which can create uncomfortable pauses as the reader tries to decipher some of the longer constructions. This is not a major flaw as all sentence structures are correct and, in general, the book is accessible in the language and imagery used. I much enjoy the occasional parenthetical insert she employs that gives her book a comfortable, credible and casual voice. Bits of poetry and quotations appear throughout the book as suggestions for using in a forest bathing moment, which is a very nice touch, and I especially loved how facts are interwoven gently as part of her logos argument without damaging the aesthetic of the beautiful words Choukas-Bradley wishes to share. I would have liked to read a chapter about how forest bathing might be adapted to tropical environments, where we have only dry or rainy seasons and a host of other pests to combat. The references at the end of the book are clear and accurate, showing consistency in style. The book is indeed inspiring, and when I travel back to the U.S., I'd like to at least use some of the advice on a nature hike. This is a book I would buy as a gift for a friend interested in mindfulness and/or nature, especially if they were planning on traveling to the U.S. Please note the small typo in the title of the section "Being in Nature is Good for Us" on p. 16 before publication.

A good beginners guide to Forest Bathing, as the Japanese like to call it. Getting back to nature and basically doing mindfulness exercises to relax and become more attune to your surroundings. I enjoy walking in the woods and stopping to see what is around me, but never thought this indepth about it before. Some good tips, but mostly just a good excuse to get out and away from the gadgets and everyday stresses we all have. Another concept to think about is the German view that is similar called Waldeinsamkeid. Would recommend this book.