The Way Of The Circle
In this 4 day immersion, participants will experience the potency of circle practice and the essential elements of a circle. This course aims to develop participants’ capacity to lead a circle or council, both within and beyond the context of forest therapy, and to cultivate an awareness of how our shared stories illuminate our interconnectedness.
Combining forest therapy and the practice of circle, we will explore ways of listening deeply to ourselves, our human companions and the more than human world. We will ask powerful questions, deepen our perception and practice how to build authentic community.
When we sit in a circle with the intention to show up with our whole selves, we may experience the ways in which our stories weave us into community. Alone, we can only see the world through the lens of our own experience, but together, we can witness reality from all angles. Each of our stories are like ingredients in a great soup that sits at the center of every circle. What we each bring forth from within our hearts blends with all that is offered and in turn nourishes us all. In the center of every circle we find the common themes of our existence, illuminating our shared experience of this world and eliminating personal and cultural isolation.
But showing up with authenticity does not only apply to our relationships with each other; it is also critical in how we relate with the more-than-human world. How do we listen to the sky and the animals, the stones and the rivers? How do we give expression to what we perceive?
In the circle, we learn to bear witness to what is real and to harvest the wisdom generated by authentic community. In this way, we may more fully experience our connectedness with the world around us. When we are open to listening, we find the medicine we are carrying within us and in our community.
We will experience forest therapy walks, circle and triad practice and a presentation by Ben ‘Crow’ Page on the ways in which consciousness can incorporate increasingly complex levels of perception through the practice of deep listening, from his master’s thesis work ‘An Exploration in Living Council.’
What you can anticipate in this course:
Skills and Learning
Personal Development
Experience
This is an ASL video by Deaf certified ANFT guide, Summer Crider, explaining the details of this retreat, including some video clips of the Aspen Camp location.
Bethel Farm is set on 50 acres of private, quiet land and is surrounded by several hundred acres more of forest and meadows. At its core, it is an organic farm, but has become a place for people to meditate, practice yoga, find peace, and reconnect to the land.
The farm has winding trails throughout the surrounding forests and gardens. There are small nooks to be explored -- some with ponds and waterfalls, as well as trails that can be explored while barefoot. The rooms are minimalist and humble, but offer purity in simplicity and comfort.
Contact Stephen at Bethel Farm to arrange lodging. Phone: 603-464-5985; email: bethelfarmyoga@gmail.com
There are 3 double rooms, a 5 person dorm, a 10 person dorm, and 7 tent platforms that can fit 11people, (there are no single rooms). There are both indoor and outdoor bathroom facilities forpeople staying both inside and outside. There is also a cabin with two floors, which is up a short hillfrom the rest of the farm. One mattress is on the ground floor and the other is in the loft.Rooms cost $100/night per person, which includes the price of food, linens, pillows, and towels.Camping is available for $85/night per person and will also include the price of food. It’s possible thatnights can be cold, so campers should be well equipped. The venue does not supply sleeping pads,bedding or towels to campers.There are three 8’ x 8’ platforms appropriate for 2 person tents, and four 8’ x 10’ platforms appropriatefor 4 person tents.There are tents available for rent: $5/night for a two-person tent (which will actually fit one person), and$10/night for a four-person tent (which will actually fit two people).People can also bring their own equipment.For people who aren't staying on site, there is a day use fee of $35 per person per day.Rooms and tent platforms will be assigned in the order in which requests are received by the venue.Requests by participants should be emailed directly to bethelfarmyoga@gmail, not as part of athread.
Meal prices are built into the price of accommodations, which includes camping as well. This is a vegetarian venue, and no meat or fish is allowed on the premises. If you have other dietary restrictions, you should notify Bethel Farm as soon as possible so that they have adequate notice to accommodate them.
Bethel Farm is a 50 minute drive from Manchester, NH and an hour and 45 minute drive from Boston, MA.
Fitness Requirements: Medium level of fitness. There are some trails that have elevation changes to them, as well as a waterfall around a 30-minute walk away.
Pamela is the creator of the Forest Bathing Podcast (coming in April 2020) and director of the 2019 Forest Bathing International Conference. She has been involved as an advisor with ANFT since its conception in 2011 and is a certified guide, practicum mentor and immersions facilitator.
Pamela has a background as a professional life coach and rite of passage mentor and has studied and worked for several decades in the field of human development. The journey of motherhood awakened in Pamela a passionate sense of caring for the thriving of life and with forest therapy she has found a practice which allows her to share this passion and to experience states of awe, wonder and love of life everywhere.
Dr, Qing Li (MD, PhD) graduated from Shanxi Medical University in China and got a PhD degree from Kagoshima University in Japan. He has studied at Stanford University School of Medicine.
He is a clinical professor at Nippon Medical School, President of the Japanese Society of ForestMedicine, Director of the Forest Therapy Society, Vice-President and Secretary General of International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine (INFOM) (https://www.infom.org).
Prof. Li is the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine and immunology. He has received Society ward from the Japanese Society for Hygiene in Forest Medicine in 2022 and University Award from Nippon Medical School in Forest Medicine in 2011 (https://researchmap.jp/read0045249?lang=en)
Some people study medicine. Some people study forest. Dr. Li studies forest medicine to find out all the ways in which walking in the forest can improve our well-being. He started the forest medicine research (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing/Forest therapy) from 2004 and has published many articles in scientific journals and books in forest medicine.
His book: Shinrin-yoku (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/308285/shinrin-yoku/9780241984857.html) has been translated into 26 languages.
His book: Forest bathing (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/579709/forest-bathing-by-dr-qing-li/) was ranked in the bestseller list in the US in 2018.
Susan Abookire, BSEE, MD, MPH, FACP, is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, a practicing Internist, and a senior executive with 20 years’ experience leading healthcare organizations. She has served as Chief Medical Officer, System Chief Quality Officer, and Chair of Quality and Patient Safety. Dr. Abookire began her career as an electrical engineer in aviation systems. She has taught nationally and internationally on patient safety, high reliability, systems design, and the health benefits of nature. Dr. Abookire also enjoys being a Forest Therapy guide and incorporates Forest Therapy into medical curricula.
Dr. Robert Zarr is a physician researcher and public health pediatrician based at Unity Health Care, Inc. and Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Canada. He has provided medical care to minority and immigrant populations for more than 20 years.
A longtime advocate for Medicare for All, Dr. Zarr served as PNHP president from 2015 through 2016. He founded and was the first medical director of Park Rx America, a community health initiative to prescribe nature to patients and families to prevent and treat chronic disease and promote wellness. A certified nature and forest therapy guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, Dr. Zarr previously served as the Park Rx Advisor to the National Park Service in his national advocacy to connect patients to parks.
Dr. Zarr earned his medical degree at Baylor University and his MPH at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, and completed residency in pediatrics at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor.
Summer , as a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide, works in partnership with Nature to provide opportunities to help humans re-connect with the Earth and themselves. Born and raised in the cypress swamp of North Florida, Summer has navigated through various life experiences as a human being who happens to be deaf. After getting their degrees in Expressive Art Therapy and Deaf Cultural Studies, and certified in American Sign Language, Summer taught ASL, Spanish, and Deaf Culture in various high schools and colleges/universities for 15+ years. They also established a media consulting business, making educational films accessible to the sign language community.After they experienced some challenges with severe anxiety, Summer found Mother Nature calling them back home. Summer decided to study Nature and Forest Therapy through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and eventually found a new purpose- assisting humans from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages to rediscover their connection with the Natural world through the healing practice of forest bathing.
Summer , as a certified Nature and Forest Therapy guide, works in partnership with Nature to provide opportunities to help humans re-connect with the Earth and themselves.
Born and raised in the cypress swamp of North Florida, Summer has navigated through various life experiences as a human being who happens to be deaf. After getting their degrees in Expressive Art Therapy and Deaf Cultural Studies, and certified in American Sign Language, Summer taught ASL, Spanish, and Deaf Culture in various high schools and colleges/universities for 15+ years. They also established a media consulting business, making educational films accessible to the sign language community.
After they experienced some challenges with severe anxiety, Summer found Mother Nature calling them back home. Summer decided to study Nature and Forest Therapy through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and eventually found a new purpose- assisting humans from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and languages to rediscover their connection with the Natural world through the healing practice of forest bathing.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Tamberly Kerr - Conway - PhD
Tamberly serves as an ANFT Certified Guide and ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Trail Consultant. Tamberly holds an MS and PhD in Forestry, with a focus upon Human Dimensions in Natural Resources, focusing upon diversity engagement, health and nature connections, forest health/human health relationships, and community empowerment in conservation.
Tahia Devischer - PhD
Tahia is a research and teaching fellow at the University of British Columbia. She holds a PhD in ecosystems science from the University of Oxford, and is a certified forest therapy guide with ANFT. She works at the nexus of urban forests, human well-being and climate resilience.
Our Mission: Support planetary health by nurturing heart-centered relationships between all peoples and the More-Than-Human World of Nature.
