Meet your guide…
Linda Lombardo
I am a certified forest therapy guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs (ANFT), and a certified Master Naturalist through Quality Parks on Long Island, NY. I was the first certified Forest Therapy guide on Long Island, NY, back in 2017 when not too many people knew what forest therapy was. I quickly built relationships with local arboretums and preserves, which recognized that what I offered was different than what they could offer to the public. I drew on years of leadership expertise, becoming the official Forest Therapy Guide for organizations like TENWOMENSTRONG, and FULL SPAN LEADERSHIP, offering programs for personal and professional empowerment along the East coast. I'm also a certified life coach through the Coaches Training Institute (2001). Partnering with the forest to support my coaching clients is wild heart experience for them and for me. Listen to my interview about forest therapy with ONE, the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries: https://www.natureevolutionaries.com/teleseminars-1/2019/9/15/forest-walk
In addition to forest bathing experiences, I offer private individual coaching and coaching walks, organizational and group forest bathing walks, Tree Wisdom card readings, Let Nature Come to You for those who cannot get to Nature, gift certificates and I'm a wedding officiant for those who'd like a ceremony in Nature.
Planting Fields Arboretum
Jun 11, 2022 | 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay, NY 11771, USA
Join us for an early summer forest bathing experience at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, NY on Long Island. Studies have shown that forest therapy can help build a strong immune system, boost your ability to fight infection, reduce stress hormones, lower your blood pressure and heart rate, and improve concentration and focus. Certified guide, Linda Lombardo, will lead a 2-hour walk throughout the grounds of Planting Fields that will promote mindfulness and connectivity with your surroundings. Forest Therapy is a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments. Forest Therapy originated as Shinrin-Yoku, or 森林翼 – the Japanese characters translate to “forest and woods and taking them all in”. It’s not about distance or endurance. It’s about slowing down and noticing. TICKETS: Members: $35 General admission: $40 Planting Fields Foundation members must log in to their account via the Planting Fields website to purchase program tickets at the member price! If you do not already have a member account profile, please read these instructions.
VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Jun 12, 2022 | 03:00 P.M. - 04:00 P.M.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY, USA
This is a 12-month VIRTUAL experience with Forest Therapy. Come once. Come every month, or when you can. Each month will offer seasonal invitations and ways to connect or reconnect with Nature. Forest Therapy isn't just a walk; it isn't just a hike. In fact, it’s not a hike at all. It's a deep experience with nature in community with others. It is a practice. You notice things you normally wouldn't notice and receive the benefit of a guide who can introduce you to experiences you wouldn’t consider on your own. A guide doesn’t talk about the plants, trees, and life around you as a naturalist might; although sometimes, they do. As a Master Naturalist, I know the names of the trees and plants, for the most part. Yet, it’s not about their names. It’s about knowing them in a very different way. A guide offers invitations. The invitations that are presented in a forest therapy walk open the senses, slow us down and get us ready to receive what the forest, preserve, park or arboretum, has to offer. The tea ceremony at the end of every walk further strengthens community with something foraged that day or could-have-been-foraged locally. Could you do this on your own? Perhaps. Will you? Probably not. It’s why I felt the urge to create this 12-month experience for you. With all the benefits of being led by a guide, maybe the question you're asking is why would a guide offer you 12 Months of Virtual Forest Therapy that you can do on your own? Well, it isn’t an ‘either or’. It’s a ‘both and’. While a guide and a community deepens the experience, this is a practice that, when done regularly, even on your own, changes you. This event takes you through 12 walks, designed month by month, considering the seasons and the spiritual essence of what being in nature means. You can start anywhere and just keep going. Activities are called invitations because you get to choose how you use them, or even if you use them. Find the invitations you love; discard the ones you don’t. When you attend a guided walk, see what the guide offers as invitations and incorporate them. May the forest be with all of us, as a beautiful, regenerative example of how life sustains itself. The natural world needs us as much as we need it! Linda
Sands Point Preserve
Jun 18, 2022 | 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
127 Middle Neck Road, Sands Point, New York 11050, USA
Take a meditative Forest Bathing walk, led by certified guide Linda Lombardo. Based on the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-Yoku, a wellness practice developed in the 1980s, each unique walk inspires mindful connections with the natural elements of the woods for a range of healthful benefits. All precautions for COVID-19 will be taken, including physical distancing. According to Linda, “Take this time to be present, lower the stress you may be experiencing, and connect with nature, which naturally boosts your immune system.” Dress for outdoor early summer weather. Walks will be 90-120 minutes depending on the temperature and other weather factors outdoors. Spaces are limited, for adults 18+, and pre-registration is required. Admission Members: $35 per person Non-Members: $40 per person Includes parking. Pre-register online or call 516.304.5076.
Bayard Cutting Arboretum
Jun 25, 2022 | 10:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
440 Montauk Hwy, Great River, NY 11739, USA
Join certified forest therapy guide, Linda Lombardo of Wild Heart Nature Connection, on a walk at Bayard Cutting Arboretum to reconnect with the natural world around us. We’ll slow down, wander and notice what most of the world simply walks past; the beauty of nature. We’ll do some grounding, connect with the trees and water, and even create some nature art together. These walks are always slow and easy-going, not a hike; not a tour of plants or collections. Walk length: 120 minutes; please wear comfortable, sturdy shoes for walking outdoors. Bring whatever else you require to feel comfortable. Masks are required. Organic bug spray only, please. We also practice physical distancing. Limited to 16 participants. Ages 18 and up. Fee: $40 per person. If you have an Empire Pass, parking is free. Otherwise, it's $8 per car per NY State.
Bayard Cutting Arboretum
Jul 06, 2022 | 10:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
440 Montauk Hwy, Great River, NY 11739, USA
Join certified forest therapy guide, Linda Lombardo of Wild Heart Nature Connection, on a midweek walk at Bayard Cutting Arboretum to reconnect with the natural world around us. We’ll slow down, wander and notice what most of the world simply walks past; the beauty of nature waking up to Spring. We’ll do some grounding, connect with the trees and water, and even create some nature art together. These walks are always slow and easy-going, not a hike; not a tour of plants or collections. Walk length: 120 minutes; please wear comfortable, sturdy shoes for walking outdoors. Bring whatever else you require to feel comfortable. Masks are required. Organic bug spray only, please. We also practice physical distancing. Limited to 16 participants. Ages 18 and up. Fee: $40 per person. If you have an Empire Pass, parking is free. Otherwise, it's $8 per car per NY State.
VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Jul 10, 2022 | 03:00 P.M. - 04:00 P.M.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY, USA
This is a 12-month VIRTUAL experience with Forest Therapy. Come once. Come every month, or when you can. Each month will offer seasonal invitations and ways to connect or reconnect with Nature. Forest Therapy isn't just a walk; it isn't just a hike. In fact, it’s not a hike at all. It's a deep experience with nature in community with others. It is a practice. You notice things you normally wouldn't notice and receive the benefit of a guide who can introduce you to experiences you wouldn’t consider on your own. A guide doesn’t talk about the plants, trees, and life around you as a naturalist might; although sometimes, they do. As a Master Naturalist, I know the names of the trees and plants, for the most part. Yet, it’s not about their names. It’s about knowing them in a very different way. A guide offers invitations. The invitations that are presented in a forest therapy walk open the senses, slow us down and get us ready to receive what the forest, preserve, park or arboretum, has to offer. The tea ceremony at the end of every walk further strengthens community with something foraged that day or could-have-been-foraged locally. Could you do this on your own? Perhaps. Will you? Probably not. It’s why I felt the urge to create this 12-month experience for you. With all the benefits of being led by a guide, maybe the question you're asking is why would a guide offer you 12 Months of Virtual Forest Therapy that you can do on your own? Well, it isn’t an ‘either or’. It’s a ‘both and’. While a guide and a community deepens the experience, this is a practice that, when done regularly, even on your own, changes you. This event takes you through 12 walks, designed month by month, considering the seasons and the spiritual essence of what being in nature means. You can start anywhere and just keep going. Activities are called invitations because you get to choose how you use them, or even if you use them. Find the invitations you love; discard the ones you don’t. When you attend a guided walk, see what the guide offers as invitations and incorporate them. May the forest be with all of us, as a beautiful, regenerative example of how life sustains itself. The natural world needs us as much as we need it! Linda
VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Aug 14, 2022 | 03:00 P.M. - 04:00 P.M.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY, USA
This is a 12-month VIRTUAL experience with Forest Therapy. Come once. Come every month, or when you can. Each month will offer seasonal invitations and ways to connect or reconnect with Nature. Forest Therapy isn't just a walk; it isn't just a hike. In fact, it’s not a hike at all. It's a deep experience with nature in community with others. It is a practice. You notice things you normally wouldn't notice and receive the benefit of a guide who can introduce you to experiences you wouldn’t consider on your own. A guide doesn’t talk about the plants, trees, and life around you as a naturalist might; although sometimes, they do. As a Master Naturalist, I know the names of the trees and plants, for the most part. Yet, it’s not about their names. It’s about knowing them in a very different way. A guide offers invitations. The invitations that are presented in a forest therapy walk open the senses, slow us down and get us ready to receive what the forest, preserve, park or arboretum, has to offer. The tea ceremony at the end of every walk further strengthens community with something foraged that day or could-have-been-foraged locally. Could you do this on your own? Perhaps. Will you? Probably not. It’s why I felt the urge to create this 12-month experience for you. With all the benefits of being led by a guide, maybe the question you're asking is why would a guide offer you 12 Months of Virtual Forest Therapy that you can do on your own? Well, it isn’t an ‘either or’. It’s a ‘both and’. While a guide and a community deepens the experience, this is a practice that, when done regularly, even on your own, changes you. This event takes you through 12 walks, designed month by month, considering the seasons and the spiritual essence of what being in nature means. You can start anywhere and just keep going. Activities are called invitations because you get to choose how you use them, or even if you use them. Find the invitations you love; discard the ones you don’t. When you attend a guided walk, see what the guide offers as invitations and incorporate them. May the forest be with all of us, as a beautiful, regenerative example of how life sustains itself. The natural world needs us as much as we need it! Linda
VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Sep 11, 2022 | 03:00 P.M. - 04:00 P.M.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY, USA
This is a 12-month VIRTUAL experience with Forest Therapy. Come once. Come every month, or when you can. Each month will offer seasonal invitations and ways to connect or reconnect with Nature. Forest Therapy isn't just a walk; it isn't just a hike. In fact, it’s not a hike at all. It's a deep experience with nature in community with others. It is a practice. You notice things you normally wouldn't notice and receive the benefit of a guide who can introduce you to experiences you wouldn’t consider on your own. A guide doesn’t talk about the plants, trees, and life around you as a naturalist might; although sometimes, they do. As a Master Naturalist, I know the names of the trees and plants, for the most part. Yet, it’s not about their names. It’s about knowing them in a very different way. A guide offers invitations. The invitations that are presented in a forest therapy walk open the senses, slow us down and get us ready to receive what the forest, preserve, park or arboretum, has to offer. The tea ceremony at the end of every walk further strengthens community with something foraged that day or could-have-been-foraged locally. Could you do this on your own? Perhaps. Will you? Probably not. It’s why I felt the urge to create this 12-month experience for you. With all the benefits of being led by a guide, maybe the question you're asking is why would a guide offer you 12 Months of Virtual Forest Therapy that you can do on your own? Well, it isn’t an ‘either or’. It’s a ‘both and’. While a guide and a community deepens the experience, this is a practice that, when done regularly, even on your own, changes you. This event takes you through 12 walks, designed month by month, considering the seasons and the spiritual essence of what being in nature means. You can start anywhere and just keep going. Activities are called invitations because you get to choose how you use them, or even if you use them. Find the invitations you love; discard the ones you don’t. When you attend a guided walk, see what the guide offers as invitations and incorporate them. May the forest be with all of us, as a beautiful, regenerative example of how life sustains itself. The natural world needs us as much as we need it! Linda
VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Oct 09, 2022 | 03:00 P.M. - 04:00 P.M.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY, USA
This is a 12-month VIRTUAL experience with Forest Therapy. Come once. Come every month, or when you can. Each month will offer seasonal invitations and ways to connect or reconnect with Nature. Forest Therapy isn't just a walk; it isn't just a hike. In fact, it’s not a hike at all. It's a deep experience with nature in community with others. It is a practice. You notice things you normally wouldn't notice and receive the benefit of a guide who can introduce you to experiences you wouldn’t consider on your own. A guide doesn’t talk about the plants, trees, and life around you as a naturalist might; although sometimes, they do. As a Master Naturalist, I know the names of the trees and plants, for the most part. Yet, it’s not about their names. It’s about knowing them in a very different way. A guide offers invitations. The invitations that are presented in a forest therapy walk open the senses, slow us down and get us ready to receive what the forest, preserve, park or arboretum, has to offer. The tea ceremony at the end of every walk further strengthens community with something foraged that day or could-have-been-foraged locally. Could you do this on your own? Perhaps. Will you? Probably not. It’s why I felt the urge to create this 12-month experience for you. With all the benefits of being led by a guide, maybe the question you're asking is why would a guide offer you 12 Months of Virtual Forest Therapy that you can do on your own? Well, it isn’t an ‘either or’. It’s a ‘both and’. While a guide and a community deepens the experience, this is a practice that, when done regularly, even on your own, changes you. This event takes you through 12 walks, designed month by month, considering the seasons and the spiritual essence of what being in nature means. You can start anywhere and just keep going. Activities are called invitations because you get to choose how you use them, or even if you use them. Find the invitations you love; discard the ones you don’t. When you attend a guided walk, see what the guide offers as invitations and incorporate them. May the forest be with all of us, as a beautiful, regenerative example of how life sustains itself. The natural world needs us as much as we need it! Linda
VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Nov 13, 2022 | 03:00 P.M. - 04:00 P.M.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY, USA
This is a 12-month VIRTUAL experience with Forest Therapy. Come once. Come every month, or when you can. Each month will offer seasonal invitations and ways to connect or reconnect with Nature. Forest Therapy isn't just a walk; it isn't just a hike. In fact, it’s not a hike at all. It's a deep experience with nature in community with others. It is a practice. You notice things you normally wouldn't notice and receive the benefit of a guide who can introduce you to experiences you wouldn’t consider on your own. A guide doesn’t talk about the plants, trees, and life around you as a naturalist might; although sometimes, they do. As a Master Naturalist, I know the names of the trees and plants, for the most part. Yet, it’s not about their names. It’s about knowing them in a very different way. A guide offers invitations. The invitations that are presented in a forest therapy walk open the senses, slow us down and get us ready to receive what the forest, preserve, park or arboretum, has to offer. The tea ceremony at the end of every walk further strengthens community with something foraged that day or could-have-been-foraged locally. Could you do this on your own? Perhaps. Will you? Probably not. It’s why I felt the urge to create this 12-month experience for you. With all the benefits of being led by a guide, maybe the question you're asking is why would a guide offer you 12 Months of Virtual Forest Therapy that you can do on your own? Well, it isn’t an ‘either or’. It’s a ‘both and’. While a guide and a community deepens the experience, this is a practice that, when done regularly, even on your own, changes you. This event takes you through 12 walks, designed month by month, considering the seasons and the spiritual essence of what being in nature means. You can start anywhere and just keep going. Activities are called invitations because you get to choose how you use them, or even if you use them. Find the invitations you love; discard the ones you don’t. When you attend a guided walk, see what the guide offers as invitations and incorporate them. May the forest be with all of us, as a beautiful, regenerative example of how life sustains itself. The natural world needs us as much as we need it! Linda
VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
Dec 11, 2022 | 03:00 P.M. - 04:00 P.M.
440 Montauk Highway, Great River, NY, USA
This is a 12-month VIRTUAL experience with Forest Therapy. Come once. Come every month, or when you can. Each month will offer seasonal invitations and ways to connect or reconnect with Nature. Forest Therapy isn't just a walk; it isn't just a hike. In fact, it’s not a hike at all. It's a deep experience with nature in community with others. It is a practice. You notice things you normally wouldn't notice and receive the benefit of a guide who can introduce you to experiences you wouldn’t consider on your own. A guide doesn’t talk about the plants, trees, and life around you as a naturalist might; although sometimes, they do. As a Master Naturalist, I know the names of the trees and plants, for the most part. Yet, it’s not about their names. It’s about knowing them in a very different way. A guide offers invitations. The invitations that are presented in a forest therapy walk open the senses, slow us down and get us ready to receive what the forest, preserve, park or arboretum, has to offer. The tea ceremony at the end of every walk further strengthens community with something foraged that day or could-have-been-foraged locally. Could you do this on your own? Perhaps. Will you? Probably not. It’s why I felt the urge to create this 12-month experience for you. With all the benefits of being led by a guide, maybe the question you're asking is why would a guide offer you 12 Months of Virtual Forest Therapy that you can do on your own? Well, it isn’t an ‘either or’. It’s a ‘both and’. While a guide and a community deepens the experience, this is a practice that, when done regularly, even on your own, changes you. This event takes you through 12 walks, designed month by month, considering the seasons and the spiritual essence of what being in nature means. You can start anywhere and just keep going. Activities are called invitations because you get to choose how you use them, or even if you use them. Find the invitations you love; discard the ones you don’t. When you attend a guided walk, see what the guide offers as invitations and incorporate them. May the forest be with all of us, as a beautiful, regenerative example of how life sustains itself. The natural world needs us as much as we need it! Linda
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Could It Be That We're Invisible?
I suddenly realized that we were invisible to the people there. No one noticed us, not even as I played my flute to remind the forest bathers to drop back into presencing. No one noticed us at all.
It was then that I realized how wonderful being i
The Deep Rest of Winter
Energetically, Winter is a time of deep rest in preparation for a rebirth or transformation. The trees sense it as early as late Summer and early Autumn when many begin the arduous task of pushing their leaves off their branches, dispelling the idea
What is Your Medicine?
Our medicine is ours and ours alone. It’s something we cannot not do. Imagine a bird that refuses to sing because it believes no one is listening, or moss that withholds moisture from the algae because it fears it won’t have enough for itself. Im
The Invitation
Someone on a walk once asked me, “What if the tree tells me to get lost? That it doesn’t want to connect?” It was a joke from someone who must have been thinking that I was a bit off suggesting a connection with a tree. My response? “If a tre
