Guided Forest Experience
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Adults 18+
Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve
24830 North Saint Marys Road
Libertyville, IL, 60048 (Map)
Join Stephanie Grunewald, PhD, Certified Forest Bathing Guide, for a guided 90-minute nature immersion. Experience a gentle practice of slowing down, awakening the senses, and deepening your connection with nature. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (森林浴), this experience offers space for reflection, presence, and restoration.
Through a series of simple sensory invitations, you’ll be guided to settle your nervous system, deepen your awareness, and reconnect with the natural world around you.
This isn’t a hike or fitness class. We’ll move slowly, pause often, and experience the wooded space right outside our home in a different way. No previous experience is needed.
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We’ll begin with 10 minutes of Tai Chi, which is gentle movement and breathwork.
Then, we’ll spend 45 minutes slowly walking the trail with guided sensory invitations, and time for quiet reflection.
We’ll close our time together with a tea ceremony and optional sharing.This is a gentle outdoor experience with slow walking, standing, and periods of stillness in nature. We will remain on or near trails and move at an unhurried pace.
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Please bring water, comfortable walking shoes, and clothing appropriate for the weather.
You may also want to bring a small blanket or sit pad for periods of stillness outdoors. A journal is optional if you enjoy writing or reflecting.
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Meet at the trail map located at the north end of the parking lot.
Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve
24830 North Saint Marys Road
Libertyville, IL, 60048 (Map) -
We’ll typically gather in light rain and other manageable weather conditions, so please dress for the forecast and changing conditions.
If weather, trail, or site conditions make the experience unsafe or unsuitable, the gathering may be modified, shortened, relocated, rescheduled, or canceled. Registered participants will be contacted by email and/or text if anything changes.
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This experience includes slow walking on natural terrain and may involve uneven ground, standing, sitting, and time outdoors in changing conditions.
You’re responsible for deciding whether the experience is appropriate for you and for honoring your own physical needs and limits throughout our time together. You may pause, modify, or skip any invitation at any time.
/REGISTRATION/
Thrive Outside
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve
24830 North Saint Marys Road
Libertyville, IL, 60048 (Map)
What Sets Our Nature Immersion Experiences Apart
01 / Thoughtful Locations
The setting truly matters. Each experience is held in a carefully chosen location that invites presence, reflection, and sensory awareness, helping you slow down and reconnect with nature.
02 / Expert Guidance
Led by Stephanie Grunewald, PhD, Certified Forest Bathing Guide, each gathering is shaped by over a decade of psychological knowledge and experience that supports regulation, reflection, and deeper presence.
03 / Meaningful Connection
These experiences are designed to foster connection not only with nature, but with the people joining you as well. Group size is intentionally limited, creating a more personal, spacious, and supportive experience.
Join Us in the Woods
Advance registration is required to prepare for the group, including the tea ceremony.