In the Press

“Vermont forest bathing guide Duncan Murdoch helps people slow down and connect with nature. The former actor, now a certified nature and forest therapy guide, leads forest bathing workshops around Vermont. Forest bathing, which first originated in Japan, is a research-based practice for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural areas. After deciding to leave the world of movies and improv to train to become a nature therapy guide, Murdoch hosted his first forest bathing workshop in Central Park. The practice of forest bathing transformed his life, he says. “It’s changed my life incredibly,” says Murdoch, who returned to his home state of Vermont in 2015. “I already felt like I had a deep connection to nature, and it’s deepened it even more. Connecting with people while connecting with nature has also been incredibly rewarding.”

“Locals and visitors can reap the benefits of forest bathing with expert guides like Duncan Murdoch, a Vermont native who lived in New York for 14 years before feeling the pull to return to his roots. In 2015, he received his nature and forest therapy guide certification from the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and began leading forest-bathing experiences in Central Park. He has since returned to his home town to immerse himself in the practice and offer it to others fully.”

Forest bathing is an English interpretation of the Japanese term shinrin-yoku and it is the idea that spending time in nature in an alert but relaxed manner has healing and rejuvenating benefits. But why, in a state where many Vermonters already feel connected to the natural landscape around them, would someone pay to go on a forest bathing excursion with a forest therapy guide? Vermont Edition went to find out.

“A two-hour forest bath will help you to unplug from technology and slow down. It will bring you into the present moment and de-stress and relax you. Numerous studies I’ve conducted have shown that shinrin-yoku has real health benefits.”

-Dr. Qing Li

“Scientific results apart, the notion of shinrin-yoku shouldn‘t be so surprising. Who hasn’t felt an inner sense of well-being when walking along a forest trail, the sun filtering through the leaves to create a kaleidoscope of light and shadows on the ground? We take these walks to feel rejuvenated, more attuned to our bodies, to refresh our minds.”

-Marcelo Gleiser

“Over the years, I’ve had physician mentors recommend Richard Louv’s books, “The Nature Principle” and “Last Child in the Woods,” which describe the benefits of time spent in the wilderness, from stimulating creativity to reducing stress. Florence Williams’s best-selling book, “The Nature Fix,” has a chapter dedicated to the benefits of forest therapy. And now, it appears that more North American doctors are starting to incorporate spending time in forests into their practice”

-Amitha Kalaichandran, M.D.

“The next prompt invited us to listen to the forest. What could we hear? Where could we hear it? Could we focus on distinct sounds or only on the orchestra as a whole? The exercise was relaxing, as were subsequent invitations to touch and smell. I found myself slipping into a trancelike state.”

-Sadie Williams

“(Duncan’s) intention in becoming a guide is “to share in the connection we innately all have with nature and with each other. Nature is so healing and, as we’ve become more and more detached, I have found that people could use a guide to help them a) get to the forest in the first place and b) slow themselves down enough to take in the benefits of what the environment provides.”

-Pamela Turczyn

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-Albert Einstein

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Duncan Murdoch

CERTIFIED NATURE & FOREST THERAPY GUIDE Duncan is a Certified Nature & Forest Therapy guide living and working in Vermont. He grew up on the shores of Lake Champlain where his deep connection to Nature was formed. Following his passion for art, he moved to NYC where he lived and worked as a professional actor for 14 years. Nature called him to become a horticulturist so he transitioned to become a NYC parks department gardener which lead him to a life of nature (re) connection. After receiving his Nature & Forest Therapy Guide Certification from the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT) in 2015, he began his practice in New York City guiding the first forest bathing groups in Central Park. He then moved back to his home state in Vermont in 2015 and began his work with the Intervale Center growing and planting native trees where he now serves as the Land Stewardship Coordinator. As a wellness practitioner, he is part of the UVM Integrative Health Practitioner Network and frequently conducts forest bathing experiences throughout Vermont and the world, in-person and online with his organization, Nature Connection Guide.