What are the benefits of forest bathing, and can slowing down in nature really regulate your nervous system, reduce stress, and help you reconnect with yourself?
In this episode of Live Your Jam, Ellen McGinnis sits down with Jenny Harrow-Keeler, founder of Ecowisdom Wellness and a certified nature and forest therapy guide, to explore the science and spirit of forest bathing, also known as the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku.
Jenny’s path into this work began after a near-death scooter accident left her with significant physical injuries and an entirely different inner landscape. While recovering, she found herself instinctively returning to the forest. Unable to take the fast, demanding hikes she once enjoyed, Jenny was forced to move slowly. In that stillness, the answers she had been searching for began to emerge.
That personal experience eventually led her to study integrative health, ecotherapy, ecopsychology, and the growing research behind forest bathing benefits. Today, Jenny guides others through sensory experiences in nature that shift the body from stress and vigilance into rest, restoration, and deeper connection.
Jenny explains that forest bathing is not about exercise, reaching a destination, or accomplishing another task. It is the practice of becoming fully present through sight, sound, touch, smell, curiosity, and wonder. By moving at nature’s pace, we create room for our thoughts to quiet and our inner wisdom to rise.
Ellen and Jenny also explore the research behind nature and nervous system regulation, including how compounds released by trees may support cortisol reduction, blood pressure, and immune function. They discuss why awe changes our state of being, how the cycles of nature challenge our culture’s obsession with constant productivity, and why periods of rest are essential to healing and growth.
This conversation is an invitation to step away from the noise, notice the living world around you, and remember that you are not separate from nature. You are part of it.
You will learn:
- What forest bathing is and how shinrin-yoku works
- The difference between forest bathing and hiking for exercise
- How nature supports nervous system regulation and stress reduction
- What phytoncides are and how the body may respond to them
- Why slowing down can feel uncomfortable in a productivity-driven culture
- How sensory awareness brings the body into the present moment
- Why awe and wonder can shift your emotional and physical state
- How nature can help you access clarity, intuition, and inner wisdom
- What seasonal cycles teach us about rest, burnout, and sustainable growth
- How forest bathing can create space for grief and emotional release
- Why forests can remind us that we are supported and never truly alone
- Simple forest bathing practices you can use anywhere, including in a city
👉 Watch the full conversation and subscribe for more stories about intuition, purpose, and living your jam.
We talk about:
00:00 Intro
00:53 What if slowing down is the medicine you need?
03:08 Jenny’s near-death accident and unexpected path to healing
05:04 Discovering ecotherapy, integrative health, and forest bathing
07:20 Turning a personal healing practice into Ecowisdom Wellness
09:08 What forest bathing is and how a guided session works
12:00 How nature activates the body’s rest-and-digest response
16:13 Why slowing down can initially feel difficult or annoying
18:22 Using the senses, movement, awe, and wonder to become present
22:15 The Japanese origins of shinrin-yoku and forest therapy
23:45 Forest bathing benefits for cortisol, blood pressure, and immunity
28:20 How nature helps us hear our inner wisdom
30:01 What wildfire regeneration can teach us about healing
34:24 The breakthroughs people experience during forest bathing
37:57 Why humans cannot live in “summer energy” all year
41:43 Simple forest bathing practices you can use every day
46:32 How trees communicate through roots and mycelial networks
50:02 Plant intelligence, consciousness, and The Telepathy Tapes
53:21 Jenny’s work with Ecowisdom Wellness
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