BECOMING A FOREST BATHING GUIDE
“My job as a forest bathing guide is to open the door to nature for you and plant a seed that will one day grow,” Yap said. This “door” refers to a deeper connection with nature.
“Many go to the park with intention, and are often running or walking very fast,” she said. Because of that, they don’t slow down and fully immerse in nature.
Being a forest bathing guide is Yap’s passion project; she earns her living as co-founder of Serious Media, a digital marketing agency with multinational clients. It is a fast-paced role, and by September 2021, three years after she co-founded the business, Yap was burnt out. “I woke up and said, this is enough. I couldn’t continue,” she recalled.
That was still during the pandemic, so Yap took a 10-day break in Singapore and tried three new things: baking, knife painting and forest bathing.
In fact, she arrived at the Healing Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens for her nature immersion with an upset stomach after lunch. “It was raining and I was holding an umbrella. There were a lot of mosquitoes. I was bitten left, right, centre,” she laughed.
But as she eased into the session, all her physical discomfort fell away.
“I’ll never forget that feeling of the wind blowing on my skin. I felt so alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised by how bright the colours were,” she recalled.
