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Trailblazers Walk: Forest Bathing at Bunker Hill
Escape the stresses of urban and suburban life for a couple of hours at Bunker Hill Forest Preserve. Experience the beauty and peace of nature with all your senses in a walking meditation called Shinrin-yoku – taking in the forest atmosphere, or Forest Bathing.
Benefits of Forest Bathing
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Lifts mood, boosts attention
- Sparks creativity
- Scientific studies have shown that forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments.
Difficulty level: Easy; no experience necessary
Location: Bunker Hill, W. Harts Rd., southwest of W. Touhy Ave. Niles, IL. (connected to Caldwell Woods and Sidney Yates Flatwoods)
Parking & Meet up spot: We will meet at the picnic shelter near the parking area just inside the entrance at W. Harts Rd. Enter from W. Harts Rd. just southwest of Touhy Ave.
What to bring/wear: Water, sunscreen, bug spray, comfortable clothing, hiking shoes, hat
Your guide, Patricia O’Donnell, Trailblazers volunteer with Friends of the Forest Preserves, is a nature and birding enthusiast with volunteer experience in ecological restoration and bird monitoring. Her experience with meditation, yoga, and natural healing spans 30 years.
For questions about the Trailblazers Walking Series, please contact Sydney Armstead, Engagement Program Manager, at sydney@fotfp.org.
