Our services are carried out by insured practitioners with wide knowledge and experience in nature therapy. We offer a confidential, friendly, open and nurturing approach to each client. For further information on our practitioners, please, refer to Our Team page.

Short video overview

In this video Gary from Holistic Healing Therapy answers the most common questions about Nature Therapy – how can Nature Therapy help you? How Nature Therapy can help reduce stress and blood pressure, improve the immune system, and boost creativity? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyX7Twag_5s

ABOUT NATURE THERAPY:

Nature Therapy, as defined and practiced by Holistic Healing Therapy, is a type of relaxation involving spending time in nature to promote health and well-being. We combine different practices including mindfulness, grounding, and natural aromatherapy; using short exercises we also encourage the development and use of various senses. We aim to give you an opportunity to stop and look at life from a larger perspective. We have been inspired by forest bathing, currently widely practiced for its therapeutic properties in Japan and the USA.

In Japan, a forest bathing trip is called Shinrin-yoku.

“A forest bathing trip involves visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation while breathing in (wood essential oils). Incorporating forest bathing trips into a good lifestyle was first proposed in 1982 by the Forest Agency of Japan. It has now become a recognized relaxation and/or stress management activity in Japan.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_bathing

Some of the scientifically proven benefits of spending time in nature include reduced stress levels, stronger immune system response, and a stabilised cortisol cycle. You can read more about the benefits of Nature Therapy on our website www.holistichealingtherapy.co.uk

ABOUT GARY AND OLGA:

Gary and Olga have traveled extensively visiting ancient sites and forests, from their studies of indigenous wisdom they have come to understand that something vital has been missed from modern educational systems. Where was our education on emotional health and well-being? How should we handle stress when life takes an unexpected turn? Most of us have no idea what to do. To find useful and helpful tools, we have to look to other cultures and times long past.

You can read more about Nature Therapy here, about the science behind Nature Therapy here, and about the history behind Nature Therapy here.

Our private Nature Therapy Walks are aimed at treating each client individually; we aim to maximize the effects of the Nature Therapy for each client. Please, contact us at holistichealingtherapyuk@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to book the session.

Our private group Nature Therapy Walks are aimed at couples and small groups of individuals (family members, work colleagues, and others).  Please, contact us at holistichealingtherapyuk@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to book a session.

Half a day session (up to 4 hours):

up to 2 people – £150;

3 or more people, or concessions – please, contact us on 01932 880 712, or by emailing at holistichealingtherapyuk@gmail.com

We carry out our Nature Therapy Walks in Newlands Corner, Guilford, GU4 8SE, Surrey, UK, with a permission from Surrey Wildlife Trust.

“Newlands Corner is a popular reserve with superb views of the surrounding countryside. There are 103 hectares (255 acres) of open chalk downland and peaceful woodlands to explore. The woodlands here are mixed, with some deciduous trees like oak and birch, plus evergreen yew. Some of the yew trees are hundreds of years old. The woods shelter roe deer and are home to green woodpeckers, nuthatches and tawny owls.”

There are on-site toilets and a coffee shop with food.

In case you would like to carry out a private Nature Therapy Walk on a private property with property owner’s permission, please, contact us to discuss via email at holistichealingtherapyuk@gmail.com, or by calling us on 01932 880 712.

We kindly ask anyone attending the event to read our TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Please, be aware that by booking a session and coming to the walk, you confirm you have read and agreed to our TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Minors: Please, be aware our walks are aimed at adults due to the profound nature of Nature Therapy. We ask that 16 and 17 years olds are accompanied by adults (guardians or parents), and we will need a written consent letter from their parent/guardian. We can not admit anyone younger than 16 years old (sorry!).

Medical conditions/prescribed medications/pregnancy: We advise those in the first trimester of pregnancy to abstain from our events. If you are pregnant, please, inform us before the event. If you have any medical conditions, are on a prescribed medication, are pregnant, or have any concerns, please, see your GP and inform him/her about attending our Nature Therapy sessions, this will allow your GP to give appropriate advice. If you currently experience or have a history of serious health issues (including mental health issues, operations, medical procedures, seizures, implants, special needs), please, inform us before the walk.

After confirming a private Nature Therapy Walk with a member of our team (you can contact us via email at holistichealingtherapyuk@gmail.com, or by calling at 01932 880 712) and before the walk, we kindly ask our clients to fill in the initial interview form which contains contact, as well as medical information. It will help us better understand the individual needs and requirements of each client, as well as better target our walk for specific conditions.

We advise you to drink plenty of water before and after, bring some water with you, and eat enough food before the walk to prepare you for the three hours ahead – if needed, please, bring snacks with you. We also encourage you to wear loose fitting comfortable clothing.

As Nature Therapy Walks are outside, we advise you to dress appropriately. For rain, bring an umbrella, raincoat, and boots. For hot weather, bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen. We ask you to wear good outdoor boots or shoes with a decent grip. Ideally something waterproof with ankle support. If we do encounter wet weather, there will be certain sections of the site which are slippery. We also advise you to bring layers, including long-sleeved tops, long trousers, and long socks for protection against insects.

We advise you to bring any necessary medications; if you are allergic to insect bites you should bring appropriate medicine to cover any eventualities.

Please, note that some of our exercises will involve sitting on the ground, so we advise you to bring something waterproof to sit on.

We will start with an introduction: who we are, what we do, and give simple tips for the session ahead. We will also show you the facilities available on site.

We will take a walk around the site and then gather to start some simple relaxation exercises, these will involve breathing exercises, aimed at calming your breath and bringing mindfulness to your senses.

We will then do a guided grounding meditation. Our walk will include different exercises to sharpen your senses to make you more aware of your surroundings. Please note, the exercises will be aimed at sensual experiences rather than intellectual understanding – we want you to learn about the environment with your senses rather than with your mind! We will work on sharpening the sense of smell, hearing, touch, and sight.

The rest of the walk will be in silence – we call it a “mindful walk.” There are many benefits to mindful walking, including, by playing the part of the observer you will notice a lot more wildlife as this is a quiet exercise, animals, and birds will not be scared away by human voices.

To finish, we will walk back to where we started; we will sit down undercover, which will provide us an opportunity to discuss our experiences. Gary and Olga will be available for any questions.

Throughout the 4 hour walk, you will be supervised by Gary and Olga, who will do their best to give you as much attention as possible, and take the best care of you. After some of the exercises, we will join in a group to briefly discuss our experiences, which will help us learn from each other and, maybe, notice something new about ourselves.

You are welcome to contact us via email at holistichealingtherapyuk@gmail.com, or by calling on 01932 880 712 if you have any questions, or to discuss any details.

In the end of our walk there will be an opportunity to ask any questions, as well as share your experience. We will also ask you to fill in the feedback form which will help us evaluate the strong and the weak points of the walk to make it better in the future.

You are also welcome to email us at holistichealingtherauk@gmail.com, or call us on 01932 880 712 in case you would like to discuss any experiences or sensations during or after the walk – we will be happy to assist you!

• Cancellation: Please, kindly acknowledge that we fully refund our walks not later than 48 hours before the scheduled time of the walk. Those who cancel at least 24 hours in advance will receive 50% refund. We do not refund the walks cancelled later than 24 hours before the start of the walk.

• Rescheduling: If you would like to change the date of the walk, please, kindly contact us not less than 48 hours before the scheduled walk time.

“ Excellent … ”

— carol everitt on Oct 17, 2016, taken from our Meetup group review page

“ Organisers good at what they do ”

— Madeline on Oct 15, 2016, taken from our Meetup group review page

“O.: What stands out most for you about today’s walk?

D.: Calming influence.

O.: Compared to when we began the walk, what (if anything) has changed about your physical or emotional state?

D.: Feel better physically.

O.: What could we have done better?

D.: No it was excellent.”

-A written dialogue between Olga from HHT and Doreen Evans, 06/11/2016

“I’ve also joined the Holistic Healing Therapy Nature walks and it’s great to enjoy the great outdoors (in all weathers) and put in some mindfulness exercises at the same time”.

-Joanna Bristow-Watkins, Reyad Sekh Em Egyptian Alchemy Healer & Teacher, Harmony Healing, 9 March 2016, taken from HHT Facebook page

“ It was a really rare opportunity to come together with people who had the same appreciation for nature and mindfulness to spend several hours in a beautiful, tranquil setting- it was a unique event. At the end I felt serene and refreshed- I’m really glad I attended the event, and glad to have made connections with people. The sense of peace I got at the end gave me clarity- I was able to see how frenetic and crazy our daily lives have become, and how crazy the world is. This event was a lovely ‘pause’, wonderful ‘time out’! Gary and Olga, your experience and knowledge really came across, the pace was lovely and relaxing- no sense of hurrying the group along in any way. Length of session perfect, not too long, not too short- that said, I could have easily continued for another hour or so!! 😉 I’ve always loved being in woods and forests, and thanks to you I’ve now learned of the existence of Forest Bathing, which is great! Thanks for starting nature therapy walks- brilliant idea! ”

— Emma Randall on Mar 16, 2017, taken from our Meetup group review page

“ Enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells. ”

— Teresa McDonough on Mar 13, 2017, taken from our Meetup group review page

You can learn more about Nature Therapy here;

about history behind Nature Therapy here;

about science behind Nature Therapy here;

about our public Nature Therapy Walks here.