Even the smallest amount of time in nature can have a positive impact on your health; simply being in nature, and connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch will de-stress and relax you. So, Mount Congreve Gardena invite you to take a bath in the forest and enjoy the shinrin-yoku experience at Mount Congreve Gardens during the Restival wellness festival which will be on offer on August 19th and 20th at the beautiful 70 acres gardens in Waterford.
Restivalgoers will have an opportunity to enjoy a two-day health and wellbeing event on August 19th and 20th from 7am to 3pm daily at the stunning gardens. The festival will offer two days of escapism with guided yoga, meditation, and pilates classes plus guided Shinrin-yoku forest bathing walks along with health and wellness talks.
The majestic Mount Congreve Gardens are a forest bathing paradise. Surrounded by trees and set on 70 acres on the banks of Waterford’s River Suir, the gardens offer the perfect sanctuary for a guided Forest Bathing experience to ensure that you relax, take respite and recharge.
Forest bathing was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine and is proven to lower the heart rate and blood pressure, reduce the stress hormone, boost the immune system and improve overall feelings of wellbeing. At Mount Congreve Gardens expert guides will share with visitors a soothing shinrin-yoku experience through a meditative guided ecotherapy excursion through the gardens.
Guests will enjoy the opportunity to partake in a 1.5 hour shinrin-yoku guided walk experience exploring the peaceful areas of these beautiful gardens and seeking out the restful spots to sit under the canopy of ancient trees in the woodland gardens.
The Mount Congreve Gardens Forest Bathing guide is an expert of Lifestyle Medicine GP Dr. Mark Rowe,
Dr Mark Rowe GP says, “Spending time in nature can be simply so restorative and relaxing, a tremendous way to destress after a busy day at work. Moreover, I have found the beautiful Mount Congreve Gardens close to where I live to be my ‘creative laboratory’ providing mental clarity, and a sense of peaceful equanimity. Time in nature can boost self-compassion as you become more attuned to your own rhythms of regular rest and recharge.
Many of my patients have benefited as well which led me to begin prescribing a ‘walk in nature’ as a therapeutic tool back in 2017 in collaboration with Mount Congreve Gardens.
Imagine a prescription that you can take and repeat indefinitely, replenishing your mental and physical health, and restoring emotional energy and overall vitality.
Welcome to the concept of a green exercise prescription – to spend time outdoors in nature for health and vitality.”
The Mount Congreve shinrin-yoku experience helps to calm a busy mind as you take a guided journey along the sensory woodland trail. Following the experience visitors can enjoy a soothing cup of herbal tea at Mount Congreve House & Visitor Centre and take time to reflect.
Tickets to ‘Restival’ also include access to the magnificent ticket-only gardens and woodland walks. The gardens at Mount Congreve, Waterford, consist of around seventy acres of intensively planted woodland garden, including a four-acre walled garden. The woodland garden has features such as a Chinese Pagoda, ponds, a temple and much more. The entire collection of plants is one of the largest in Ireland, quite simply, the gardens are amazing.
Daily and Weekend tickets to the adult-only ‘Restival’ at Mount Congreve Gardens in County Waterford are now available at €39 per day or €59 per person for a weekend ticket at https://mountcongreve.com/
“Forest bathing or shinrin-yoku is to take in, in all of one’s senses, the forest atmosphere. Not simply a walk in the woods, it is the conscious and contemplative practice of being immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of nature.”
– The Global Wellness Institute –
