Forest Bathing: How To Cleanse Your Spirit As a part of North Carolina’s Year of The Trail celebration, “Wellness and Trails” is the theme for August. In conjunction with that theme, this month’s blog is about Forest Bathing, which has become a popular activity for folks who love the outdoors. If you’re new to the concept, you’ll enjoy this fascinating interview we conducted with Dr. Mattie Decker, a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, mindfulness teacher and a retired professor of education.   Q&A Q&A: Mattie, tell us a little about yourself. “I’m a lifelong educator who grew up in Savannah, Georgia. I got my teaching degree from Georgia State University and then went on to teach in rural Appalachia in northeast Georgia. Later, I spent ten years in Colorado. I’ve always had a deep connection with nature, and Colorado deepened that relationship. Ultimately, we moved to Arkansas where I finished my master’s thesis. I then went on to pursue my doctorate at the University of Memphis. Over the years, I’ve also spent a great amount of time in Finland, studying and researching their innovative teacher education program. In Norway, I became a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide.” Q&A Q&A: What is forest bathing and how long has it been around? “Forest bathing is derived from the Japanese practice shinrin-yoku, which means forest bath. It was developed in the 80’s when Japan was in the midst of their tech boom. People were dying from a wide range of diseases in unprecedented numbers.... Read More