Once upon a time, there was a woman with a squishy heart and a drive to succeed. She adventured through life’s challenges with gusto. When she had checked off a big milestone in the fall of 2022, this Type-A gal was shocked to realize that she didn’t know what her next goal was. She could do more of the same, or she could…not?

Perhaps... Maybe...she could…wait? Wait to see what was possible if she made room for the unknown.

Before we can learn anything, we need to make room. Sometimes that looks like surrendering an old belief to make way for something new, or being willing to say ‘I don’t know’ so that curiosity can flourish. Or – it can look like taking a pause with the faith that whatever is supposed to come next needs room to breathe before it can appear.

So, she made room. And waited. When she did, truly magical things began to happen. She learned how to make trails and build boardwalks. She learned what intuition was and how to listen to her own. She learned more about reiki and tarot and energy, and how they connect us deeper to ourselves.

One day, less than a year later, she was receiving her own reiki treatment when a green download filled her mind. It took her breath away in its scope and scale. It terrified the pants off her as it was such a different path than the one she’d been on.

But in that moment, she also received a certainty that it was absolutely, without question how she should spend the next chapter of her life. She left the session energized, shaken…and certain. Helping others connect with nature so they could connect with themselves was what her life up until that point had been preparing her for. Every course, every leadership experience, every gutfeel, every lesson – they all were in service of teaching her how to reach others.

How to share what she’d learned. How to help others experience the joy and healing nature offered.

For if more people could connect with nature and themselves in a deeper way, we all, as a community, would benefit.

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Please know, when I ask you to ‘Come to The Forest’ to connect with nature and yourself, I mean it --> with every bit of my squishy heart

- Heather of The Forest

I had the pleasure of lecturing this winter at Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre.

Sharing new perspectives on tree significance, informed by my work at The Forest and in support of their Niagara Parks partnership, was an honour.

I also introduced Energetic Hygiene Principles to this graduate class as a way to support collaborative team dynamics in research environments.

These Master’s and PhD students were thoughtful, curious and deeply engaged — eager to explore how these concepts could support both their research and their education.

Thank you to Brock University and Dr Marilyne Carrey for the invitation. Meaningful work happens when we remember that how we relate to each other — and to the natural world — truly matters.

Forest Bathing is not about exercise or visual inventory or efforting through an activity.

It's about feeling the natural world with all five of your senses. Walking slowly, having a soft gaze, allowing nature to seep into your being

A quick "how to":

Turn off devices: That's right, no pictures or texting. Nada. You want to be IN the moment, surrounded by the natural world

Find your leaves: Choose a location with trees and quiet spaces. It could be a forest, a park - or even your backyard

Walk slowly and mindfully: Move at an easy pace without a specific destination, allowing your senses and intuition to guide you. Think flow, not hike

Engage your senses: Allow your only focus to be what you see, hear, smell, touch, and even taste

Be present: Take time to sit and observe the surroundings. Allow other thoughts to fall away and focus on your senses

When you're done, take a moment to feel joy - learning to be mindful and present is simple (but it's not always easy). Enjoy the ease you received from the natural world.

Remember to thank nature for the experience, and plan to visit again soon

Have a listen about how to turn your dreams into reality via the magical story of The Forest on the Cut the Karma podcast (30 mins):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1803311/episodes/16958066

From Julie Kraus, International Spiritual Advisor:

If you are needing some encouragement to go after your dreams, this episode is for you - I am so inspired! I sat down with Heather of The Forest, owner of a nature based wellness center called The Forest in Cambridge Ontario, and talked about how she turned her spiritual downloads and awakening into reality.  Heather was an environmental scientist for over 24 years and decided to take a huge leap of faith when her soul was calling her to do something totally different.

After taking the BECOME Program and retiring from her career, she is fully ready to show the world how healing nature is and how beautiful soul expansion can be. 

Thank you for being here!

Big magic, 

Julie and Heather xo

This week, I had the privilege of working with a professional team of Corporate Consultants. Their role includes hosting public meetings. As you can imagine, these wonderful facilitators experience A LOT of energy from other people! At the end of public events, they can be left feeling physically tired, emotionally ‘hungover’ and stuck in a loop of interaction memories.

Our “Personal Energy Management with a Focus on Public Engagement” session included providing tools and practicing strategies the facilitators could employ before, during, and after their interactions with the public! The goal of the training is to reduce or eliminate the energetic impact the events have on the facilitators.

At the end of the training, the overall feedback from the participants was – RELIEF!!! These amazing professionals have been supporting the public in a myriad of ways for years, with great focus on how to treat community members with respect and openness. They shared with me that our session made them feel strongly educated on how to cultivate, manage, and balance their own energy️.

Facilitating discussions on personal energy management in a corporate setting is a passion of mine! As a Scientist and someone with years of Executive Management experience, I enjoy being able to ‘translate’ these energetic techniques to a professional environment. Further, being able to share these tools with people who have a variety of belief systems is yet another exciting way to help even more people build their autonomy and self-care.

If your team deals with a variety of stakeholders, needs help fostering open communication, and/or is looking to improve their team dynamics, please reach out to discuss the numerous customizable offerings!

One of the most common questions I get is:

Soooo…what's Reiki?

LOL, a totally reasonable question! Because Reiki works with your own personal energy, it can be hard to describe (but let's give'r a go!)

Originating in Japan, Reiki has been used for thousands of years as a gentle, holistic healing practice that supports your emotional and physical balance. These restorative treatments include light touch or hands-off techniques that:

- Reduce mental and emotional stress

- Clear energy blockages

- Support your body's physical recovery process

Nothing is ‘added’ to your body from the practitioner; our role is to channel your own energy so that it can flow unencumbered to the places that need it most.

Here are a handful of beautiful outcomes my clients have recently shared with me:

- After the session I couldn’t believe that some of the emotional baggage I’d been carrying around for years was released. It’s months later, and that old weight is still gone!

- I feel motivated, positive and very productive; all in all, better than I’ve been in ages :)

- Oh my goodness, I’ve never felt so calm or grounded in my life!

Whether you’re need of an energy pick-me-up, are looking for help dealing with a physical ailment, or are wanting to delve deeper into your own inner knowing, come give Reiki a try!

Plus, here at The Forest, you’ll be able to experience this beautiful healing modality nestled amongst the treetops! Even in winter, the 360° view of the woods is absolutely breathtaking!!!

Following some sage advice, I decided to offer a handful of early events at The Forest before the full-time opening this March.

The very first collaboration was with Bear Heart Breathwork and included an amazing group of attendees. The sun shone through the second story windows of The Light Studio on a gorgeous fall day, with gold and orange hues reflecting throughout the space. You could literally feel the transformative impact of the session unfold.

Afterward, while I was still recovering from the heartfelt emotion of “the first event”, one of the attendees came over and asked:

Can I get married here on the winter solstice?

In shock, I sputtered: but we’re not open yet!

Laughing, we chatted through the possibilities, and what ended up coming together was the most beautiful winter wedding you’ve ever seen. An ethereal blanket of snow had fallen at just the right time, a brilliant blue sky lit up the woods, and a couple so magical they glowed began the next chapter of their lives together on the Forest Platform.

Had I ever hosted a wedding before? Noooo

Were we technically open yet? Nope

Could I have foreseen all the things that would be needed for this special day? Nuh-uh

But following my gut and saying yes to this amazing request led to one of the loveliest experiences I’ve ever had. What a wonderful lesson in trusting your intuition when your heart whispers:

Take the leap!