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Preparation for this walk began several weeks in advance, with multiple visits to the Woods near Holne to fine-tune timing and get a feel for the varying atmospheres in the forest. During these visits, we discovered an entirely unexplored area of the forest. Just a week before the planned walk, my hip—aggravated by a genetic condition—began to ache, making uphill walking difficult, unless I was willing to endure pain in my right hip and knee joints. As a Sei-ki Touch Practitioner I decided to give myself daily Sei-ki sessions for six days which thankfully, alleviated the pain and enabled me to facilitate the walk with ease.
Five people joined the walk all from different backgrounds and levels of experience, including a couple from Torbay, both in their seventies. It was their first time attending a Shinrin-Yoku walk, and the man had a pronounced limp in his right leg. Though the walk wasn’t particularly strenuous, there were slopes and rocky sections that presented some challenges for everyone. The man, however, handled it all with perseverance and a sense of humour, using his stool stick and occasionally receiving a helping hand from the rest of the group.
To start with, the weather was cool and foggy, but as the day progressed, the sun broke through, and the air grew warmer. The feeling in the forest was breathtaking. At certain points along the walk, we paused to watch a gentle shower of colourful leaves drift down, brushing past us before settling on the vibrant forest floor. By the river, leaves in shades of yellow, orange, and brown created ever-shifting patterns on the flowing water and along the banks. Observing these patterns became a meditation practice for those participants who felt drawn to work with the water element.
With each new stop along the walk, participants shared how they were feeling more present and calmer. Through sensory attunement, they expressed how the forest’s gifts were affecting them, evoking joy, wonder, peace, connection, relaxation, and a sense of being more at home in their bodies.
At the third stop by the river, we passed through a natural threshold formed by two beech trees, and an unusual scene awaited us. There they stood the Totnes Geisha and her partner. The Geisha dressed in a traditional kimono jacket, had been boiling water with a Japanese kettle in preparation for our arrival. She invited us to sit around her for a tea ceremony, offering us vibrant green matcha tea in handmade ceramic bowls. Everyone was captivated, savouring the mindful ritual of sharing tea and biscuits, while being immersed in the restorative peace of the woods' ambiance.
The greatest lesson I took from this journey was the joy of being fully present, remaining open to the guidance of the forest at every stage, and witnessing the elderly man's remarkable resilience. His ability to embrace the walk wholeheartedly, undeterred by his condition, was inspiring. Despite the “bullying,” as he put it, from doctors who discouraged him from facing such challenges, and from others who questioned him because of his age and condition.
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