Goals and therapeutic outcomes

• Downregulate sympathetic arousal and activate parasympathetic response

• Reduce physiological and subjective stress (e.g., lower heart rate, improved mood)

• Strengthen embodied present-moment awareness and interoception

• Foster connection to nature and others, supporting social safety cues

• Provide practical self-regulation skills to generalise to everyday life

Pre-event information (sent to participants in advance)

• Intake form (brief mental health & medical history), informed consent, and emergency contact

• What to bring: layered clothing, comfortable shoes, water, snack, small sitting mat or towel, journal and pen (for the reflective portion of the event)

• Cancellation policy

• Arrival instructions: meeting point, parking/public-transit, exact start time, and approximate end time

Event timeline

Welcome & Orientation (5 minutes)

• Check-in, brief introductions

• Safety briefing (route, boundaries, restroom locations, emergency procedures)

• Brief clinical framing: how nature affects the nervous system, intention setting

• Ground rules (confidentiality, non-solicitation, optional participation, mobile phones turned off)

Gentle Transition Walk (5 minutes)

• Slow, unhurried paced walk on flat path to move away from busy areas

• Clinicians model soft, mindful attention (no talking except brief prompts)

• Sensory check-in: breathe and notice three sensory inputs (sight, sound, touch)

Orientation to Practices (10 minutes)

• Short teach-in on polyvagal-informed principles (safety cues, co-regulation) and somatic awareness

• Explain micro-practices to be used: grounding breath, orienting, pendulation (shift attention between activation and calm), mindful touch of natural objects, non-judgmental noticing

Guided Shinrin Yoku Sequence (30 minutes)

• A slow, scaffolded sequence allowing for individual and paired exercises. Facilitators offer invitations rather than directives; participants opt in to activities.

• Sensory Invitation Walk (15–20 min)

  • Slow, single-file movement with prompts every 2–3 minutes (e.g., “Pause and notice the sounds above you,” “Find a leaf to examine with touch only”)

  • Emphasis on multi-sensory richness; discouraged to take photos unless as a deliberate mindfulness exercise

  • Slow awareness of stepping, noticing foot contact, shifting weight, breath-synchronized movement back toward meeting area

• Sit Spot / Solo Time (5-10 min)

  • Participants spread out, maintain visual distance, find a comfortable sitting position

  • Options: mindful breathing, body scan, sensory anchor (stone/leaf), journaling

  • Clinicians move quietly among participants, offering brief check-ins if needed

• Grounding circle (5 min)

  • Arrive at a quiet clearing; brief grounding breath series (4-6 slow breaths)

  • Short intention: “To notice without changing or correcting”

Integration Circle & Reflection (5-10 min)

• Gather in a seated circle; brief grounding breath

• Reflective prompts offered: What did you notice in your body? What shifted for you? What practice will you take home? What emotions became apparent to you? What did you learn about yourself?

• Clinicians offer psychoeducation: simple nervous system model, normalising reactions