Nature is one of the best medicines for difficult times. An intimate awareness of the natural world, even within the city, can calm anxieties and help create healthy perspectives. This book will inspire and guide you as you deal with the current crisis, or any personal or worldly distress. Melanie Choukas-Bradley is a naturalist and certified forest therapy guide who leads nature and forest bathing walks for many organizations in Washington, D.C. and the American West. Learn from her the Japanese art of “forest bathing”: how to tune in to the beauty and wonder around you with all your senses, even if your current sphere is a tree outside the window or a wild backyard. Discover how you can become a backyard naturalist, learning about the trees, wildflowers, birds, and animals near your home. Nature immersion during stressful times can bring comfort and joy as well as opportunities for personal growth, expanded vision, and transformation. The “Resilience Series” is the result of an intensive, collaborative effort of our authors in response to the 2020 coronavirus epidemic. Each volume offers expert advice for developing the practical, emotional, and spiritual skills that you can master to become more resilient in a time of crisis.
Cover photo by Susan Austin Roth. Foreword by Wendy Paulson.
Praise for the Book
— Bruce M. Beehler, Author of Natural Encounters: Biking, Hiking, and Birding Through the Seasons and Birds of Maryland, Delaware & the District of Columbia
— Susan Leopold, PhD, Ethnobotanist, Director of United Plant Savers, author of Isabella’s Peppermint Flowers, and member of the Patawomeck tribe of Virginia
— Doug Barker, Founding Board Member, Rock Creek Conservancy, and Chair of Green Ribbon Panel for 125th Anniversary of Rock Creek Park
— Stella Tarnay, Co-Founder, Capital Nature