August 30, 2023 —Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC Head of Inspirement and Certified Forest Therapy Guide
The beautiful land around Enso Village and Sonoma County as a whole has a rich biodiversity. Observant eyes may look up and see one of our majestic birds of prey or look down and see a California newt. Pollinators of all kinds visit flowers. Owls keep watch at night.
Forest Therapy and other ways to see nature
Being in the presence of the “more than human world” will be an important aspect of Inspirement and other pursuits at Enso Village. The practice of Forest Therapy uses this phrase “the more than human world” instead of “nature” because it opens up space for ways to interact with plants, animals, insects, and other living things along with the elements and the seasons wherever someone has access. We will certainly venture out into “N”-nature on trips into the Bay Area’s many nature preserves and parks. And we will also notice and appreciate the opportunities right around our building!
What might we encounter? Sonoma County has a list of animals by season. The Inspirement calendar will feature different forms of Forest Therapy walks – The Head of Inspirement Erin Partridge is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forestry Guides. These experiences will be tailored to fit the seasons and interests of those who attend.
What’s in Motion?
If you would like to try something from Forest Therapy yourself, right now, you could engage in an invitation called “What’s in Motion?”
You are invited to be aware of your surroundings and notice what is in motion.
I wonder what kinds of motion will you experience?
I wonder what the slowest movement you experience is? The fastest?
I wonder how your motion is part of the whole moving world all around you?
If you like, share your observations with someone else!