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Lessons from the forest. Or how to do forest bathing (森林浴 shinrin-yoku )

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It’s not often I find myself lying face-up on a snow-covered forest floor, tracking bird flight while listening for the distant sound of water. Above me, the trees are silhouetted against a sky the colour of stonewashed jeans, the tips of the smaller branches silvered by the late-winter sun.

I am in Takashima, a small town on the edge of Lake Biwa, treating myself to the grounding experience of shinrin-yoku (森林浴 forest bathing) – a term coined in 1982 by the Director General of Japan’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Agency, Tomohide Akiyama. A relatively new therapy, originating in Japan, it has now been scientifically proven to confirm something we have always known in our bones: trees can make us well.

As our lives become increasingly fast-paced and sanitised, many of us are feeling disconnected from nature and from ourselves, as if something important is missing. People have long understood that spending time in nature, and specifically among trees in a forest, has a calming effect, but is only in the past decade or so that consistent peer-reviewed scientific results have added weight to the idea of it as a preventative medicine. This has subsequently led to use of the term ‘forest therapy’. Results point to increased mental wellness, boosted immune systems and reduced stress levels, heart rate and blood pressure.1

These effects are not only due to the calm atmosphere and gentle exercise, but also to actual interactions with the trees. One piece of research found that after a forest-bathing trip, subjects had significantly higher numbers of so-called natural killer (NK) cells, a type of lymphocyte that boosts the immune system’s defences against viruses and cancers – an effect that lasted for seven days after the experience. Further studies have suggested that the immune boost was, at least in part, a result of exposure to phytoncides, a substance emitted by plants and trees.2

Back in the forest, home to deer, monkeys, wild boar and bears, March has arrived but the cold season lingers; the trees are still dark and bare. Birds’ nests are easier to see when there is no leaf coverage. I watch a couple of feathered friends, nuthatches perhaps, hop from branch to branch in playful chase, and delight in having nowhere else to be.

Our guide, Mr Shimizu, is an energetic retiree with fantastic knowledge of the local flora and fauna. Head to toe in red, with a bottle of green tea hanging from his belt, he carries a stethoscope around his neck, for listening to water, of course. He is one of hundreds of certified Forest Therapy Guides working at official sites across Japan.

Shimizu-san has seen this particular trail in every season, and knows its secrets intimately. ‘Come and look at this moss,’ he calls, offering a magnifying glass. ‘And here, see how the snow has melted around the trunks of these beech trees? That’s their energy at work.’ He invites us to go slowly, use all our senses and notice the details of the world alive all around us.

Our therapy session had begun a couple of hours earlier. First, we washed our hands in a small stream, feeling the coolness of the water and listening to the gurgle as it fell over a low waterfall. A gentle hike took us to the base of a gulley, from where a 180-degree turn offered a view of distant fields and mountains. There, we stopped for water and roasted almonds, before our first silent exercise. We each had to pick a direction, and look first to the far distance, then the middle distance, then up close, to see how the same view changed, depending on what we focused on.

In other forest-therapy sessions, you might hear flute music, spend time in a hammock to soak in the healing power of the trees, meditate or go barefoot to sense different surfaces beneath your feet. It depends on the location, the guide and the season. 

‘It is clear that our bodies still recognise nature as our home, which is important to consider as increasing numbers of people are living in cities and urban environments,’ says Professor Yoshifumi Miyazaki, Deputy Director of the Centre for Environment Health and Field Sciences at Chiba University, who proposed the term ‘forest therapy’ to describe shinrin-yoku supported by scientific evidence.3

His research has measured the direct benefits of forest therapy, which include an increase in those NK cells, known to fight tumours and infection, increased relaxation and reduced stress, reduction in blood pressure after just fifteen minutes and a general sense of wellbeing.

‘It is not just forests that can have a beneficial effect on our wellbeing,’ Professor Miyazaki says. ‘Other natural stimuli, such as parks, flowers, bonsai and even pieces of wood have been shown to reduce stress, making these effects attainable for all of us, even city-dwellers.’4

In the end, I was glad I had forced myself out from my cosy futon when the moon was still high in the sky, to catch an early train out to the forest. I left relaxed and rejuvenated, and slept like a baby that night.

Writing in The Anatomy of Self, a classic book looking into the Japanese character, psychiatrist Takeo Doi made the fascinating observation that Japanese people likely feel so fond of nature because when they are in it, they don’t have to subscribe to any of society’s rules: ‘They become one with nature so to speak . . . From their viewpoint therefore they feel more human with nature than with humans.’5 I am pretty sure many non-Japanese people feel this way too.

Natural wellness

There is great value in the scientific evidence which reassures skeptics of the benefits of spending time in forests, and official shinrin-yoku has encouraged large numbers of people into the woods, which is to be celebrated.

However, we should not be mistaken in thinking that you have to be on an official trail, with an official guide, to enjoy the healing power of the trees. I think we have a huge opportunity to take the principles of evidence-based forest therapy and let them loose in wilder areas. Walking. Hiking. Doing yoga among the trees. Climbing the trees. Embracing them. Talking to them. Sitting with our backs to the trees writing in our journals.

There is a lovely phrase in Japanese, kachō fūgetsu (花鳥風月). It literally means flower-bird-wind-moon. It refers to contemplating the beauty of nature. This kind of contemplation can prompt reflection on our own inner nature and remind us of our role as part of a magnificent whole, which puts everything in perspective.

My hope for forest bathing is that it becomes like yoga – a practice that is worth learning from a trained teacher, but can also be done alone or in a small group, away from too much structure and equipment and rules. Just you and the trees – or maybe you, the trees and your yoga mat – finding your own rhythm and deepening your connection with nature.

The forest invites us to open our hearts and listen.

The medicine of the forest is far more than a contemporary wellness trend. People have lived in forests since ancient times. Nature is in our blood. It’s in our bones. It’s in our very human spirit. It is the haunting call of the mountains and the swirling pull of the sea; the whispering of the wind and the secrets in the trees.

To me, forest bathing is not about doing something new; it’s about something we know deep down, but that many of us have forgotten. When you spend time in a gentle forest and experience moments of mindfulness among the trees, you feel held, supported, transported. It’s like coming back to an old friend, who will pull you in close and whisper secrets in your ear if only you’ll show up at their door.

In the modern world, we spend so much of our time shut up in sanitised boxes – in our homes, our cars, our offices. Taking time to step out of those boxes and get close to the wild outdoors sharpens our senses and reminds us of the preciousness of life. We sometimes need everything to be stripped away to reveal the true beauty. We need the simplicity to remind us that life isn’t all about accumulating stuff. And we need the birdsong and big skies to remind us that we are part of nature. Wildness is a part of who we are.

Top tips for forest bathing

Here are some tips for forest bathing among trees near you. Why not take a copy of this list with you next time you go for a woodland adventure:

  • Walk slowly. Now slow your pace by half. And by half again.
  • Be present. Keep your phone in your pocket.
  • Use all your senses to explore your environment. Notice the feel of the ground under your feet, the taste of the air, the wind in the trees, the light and the shadows. Look up, down and all around.
  • Cup your hands behind your ears to capture more sounds of the forest. What can you hear? Where is the sound coming from? Is it low down or high up? Is it near or far?
  • Touch things. Notice how different bark, branches and leaves feel.
  • Notice where things are in their life cycle. What is emerging? What is growing? What is fading?
  • Breathe deeply. What can you smell?
  • Watch the sky. Look for movement. Count colours. How many shades of one colour can you see? Stay watching long enough to notice changes.
  • If you can identify what is safe to eat, taste a berry or a leaf slowly, and with gratitude.
  • Pick up a fallen gift of the forest and look at it closely. What can you see?
  • Spend some time in silence, even if you are in a group. In fact, especially if you are in a group. Try meditating, stretching or just sitting with your back against a tree.
  • Lie in a hammock between two trees. Ask the trees’ permission before you set up camp.
  • Take off your shoes and feel the earth beneath your feet or dip your toes in a stream.
  • Notice how you feel when you are held by the forest. Don’t rush. Linger as long as you can.
  • Find a particular spot you are drawn to and spend time there. Name it. Make up a story about it. Come back on another day, in another season, and see what has changed.

While taking a moment in nature, ask yourself these questions:

  • How do you feel when you are being held by the forest?
  • What stories of the land rise up to greet you as you stretch your arms wide and open your heart?
  • What secrets might you want to share with the running river or the wise old tree?
  • What wishes will you scatter in the woods like fallen leaves, to be carried on the wind to a place you cannot know?
  • What promise do you make to yourself, on this day, in this place?

Note: please be sure to take the usual safety precautions when going into the forest. And if you cannot get to a cluster of trees near you right now, try putting cypress or cedar oil in your diffuser, or bring some plants into your home. (See Chapter 2 for other ideas on how to bring nature indoors.)

***

References:

1 Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4997467/ Retrieved 20 March 2018.

2 Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20074458 Retrieved 20 March 2018.

3 Miyazaki Yoshifumi, Shinrin-yoku: The Japanese Way of Forest Bathing for Health and Relaxation (London: Aster, 2018) p.11.

4 ibid. p.23.

5 Doi Takeo, The Anatomy of Self: Individual Versus Society (Tōkyō: Kōdansha, 1985) p.159.

***

Post by Beth Kempton. The above essay is is an extract from my book Wabi Sabi: Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life (Piatkus)

Metamorphosis, in front of my eyes.

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A month ago the postman knocked at the door. “You’d better open this one soon,” he winked, handing a brown box to our six-year old birthday girl. “Are they dead, mummy?” she asked wide-eyed, carefully lifting the clear pot out of the box and staring at the five motionless hairy caterpillars inside, sprawled across some pale brown gunk. “Erm, I think they are sleeping,” I hoped, quietly wondering whether it was legal to send living things in the post.

A week later those caterpillars had eaten all the gunk at the bottom of the jar, quadrupled in size and crawled up to the underside of the lid, to dangle like a showoff doing one-handed tricks on monkey bars. Over the next couple of days they seemed to grow a cocoon, as if it was their own body thickening up, rather than spinning a web around themselves as I had always imagined. When those chrysalides hardened, we carefully lifted the lid off the pot, creatures still attached, and transferred it to the pop-up net habitat that had arrived with our unusual package. Over the next few days the chrysalides darkened and texturized into charcoal grey beads flecked with gold.

I became obsessed with them, watching for the slightest changes in their outer layer, imagining I could see the imprint of folded wings pushing against the hard casing. One sunny morning we went to the beach for a couple of hours, and piled back into the house all noisy and sandy before someone cried, “Look!” Three butterflies had emerged, and were clinging to the wall of their net home. Their shed skins remained attached to the lid at one end, the other end burst through in that moment of emergence.

They began as caterpillars and emerged as butterflies. I knew it was likely to happen. Of course I did. I had learnt about it in primary school forty years ago. But still I’m not sure I believed it would actually work. It seemed unfathomable. How did the caterpillars know what to do? How was that brown gunk enough to create something so beautiful? Where were their wings hidden? Surely they didn’t just spin them like fairy fabric in a matter of days? And how on earth did three of them emerge within an hour or so of each other, after all that time? (The other two had been disturbed when we moved them to their habitat and had fidgeted for a while. That must have taken some of their energy reserves, and they were the last to emerge a couple of days later)

Perhaps what amazed me the most was the realization that the caterpillar doesn’t actually turn into the butterfly, changing its whole body and so on. Rather it simply grows wings. I don’t think I knew that before, but having studied them so closely before they became chrysalides, I recognized their caterpillar faces as butterflies. Close up they were the essentially the same. From a distance they were completely new. When we released them, they instinctively knew what to do.

Their period of retreat had been an intense period of growth, away from the world, still and silent yet intensely fertile as they spun potential from their own bodies. What emerged was not another creature, but the same one, changed. The same face, but with the courage and confidence that wings can bring – wings they didn’t have to think to grow, but rather wings that grew on them, when they surrendered to the process, and trusted. Metamorphosis, just like that.

I am sending this to you from a short writing retreat where I too am surrendering to the process. It isn’t easy, or comfortable, but my winged friends reminded me that I don’t have to work so hard at it. Instead I just need to get quiet and wait. Then I’ll know what to write, or I perhaps will be written.

Have a good week friends,
Beth Xx

PS Did you know I have a brand new course starting on Monday? It’s called Excavate Your Life: writing towards clarity and direction. This extraordinarily rich five week life-exploration/personal development/writing course is a unique opportunity to discover what you really want from life. And as a special treat to celebrate its launch you can get 30% off with the code DIGDEEP if you register here by Monday.

(Butterfly images: Holly Bobbins Photography. Lotus image: Unsplash/Zoltan Tasi)

Excavate Your Life (brand new personal development + writing course!)

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For months now I have been working on a brand new course which combines personal development and writing, as a way to navigate life. Excavate Your Life is a rich online course which offers a unique opportunity to explore what you really want from life, while honing your writing skills. Join me, bestselling self-help author Beth Kempton as I guide you on a wild and beautiful journey towards clarity and direction. Each weekday for five weeks you will get a juicy lesson (audio, video, journaling worksheet and writing challenge) to help you go deep and stretch your writing. By the end of the course, the alchemical nature of it all will ensure you have a stronger sense of what really matters to you, and a clearer idea of where to focus your time, energy and attention. Not to mention having much more confidence in your writing after all that practice…

This is a very special hybrid writing and personal growth course which I have designed to help you find clarity and direction, both in your writing and in your life. I have spent more than a decade helping people to navigate change and reconfigure their lives to do what they love. I have also written a series of self-help books, all connected by a thread of making the most of this precious life.

It’s so easy in the rush of the modern world to go through the motions of each day without stopping to think what it’s all about, whether we are actually awake to our experience, and how we want to make the most of whatever is left, without knowing how long that will be. Personally I find journaling and writing incredibly powerful tools to help me tune in to the world, to my life, to other people, and to myself. I have brought all of this together in this course, with the aim that by the end of it you will be inspired, motivated and ready for whatever might be next.

To celebrate the launch of this brand new course you are invited to join with a 30% discount – just use the coupon code DIGDEEP when you register here by Monday August 23 (when class begins). Sign up now and start excavating your life. You never know what goodness you might find.

Beth Xx

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Who’s it for?

This is for you if any of the following are true:

  • You want to make a major change in life
  • You are wondering ‘What should I do with my life?’
  • You need help figuring out what you really want
  • You want to shake things up and get out of a rut
  • You want to mine your life for its most valuable lessons
  • You are looking for a sense of meaning and purpose OR
  • You want to write a memoir or a book that explores the human experience

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What’s included?

The course has been designed as a five-week intensive class, and includes:

  • Daily Spark audios to get your creative juices flowing
  • Daily video lessons, each guiding you to excavate your life from a different perspective
  • Daily journaling worksheets to guide you gently through the excavation process, seeking out clues and patterns to help you envision what kind of life you want to create
  • Daily writing challenges to push you out of your writing comfort zone and explore what you are really capable of
  • PLUS Along the way I include a host of insights into my experience helping thousands of people to navigate change, and writing five self-help books

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About your tutor

Beth Kempton has spent the last decade helping tens of thousands of people find creative ways to live well doing what they love, through powerful online courses and workshops as founder of Do What You Love. Beth writes self-help books which have been translated into 24 languages.

Her bestselling book ‘Wabi Sabi: Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life’ has been recommended by TIME Magazine, British Vogue, The Telegraph, and Psychologies Magazine, described as ‘a truly transformational read’ by Sunday Times Style. She is also the author of Freedom Seeker: Live more. Worry less. Do what you love., Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year and most recently, We Are in This Together: Finding hope and opportunity in the depths of adversity’ (Piatkus) which she wrote in sixteen days in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. Mother of two adorable girls, she lives a slow-ish life in Devon, UK.

Important note

Please be aware that this is not a replacement for clinical therapy. Please seek professional clinical advice if you need it. Please also note that this class does not include specific advice on writing technique or any feedback on individual writing samples. It is a self-paced course so there is no direct interaction with Beth. It is also designed as a very personal experience so there is no private community with this course.

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FAQ

Do I have to be online at a certain time to join in?

The classroom will open on August 23, 2021, and content will be released from that date. You do not have to log on at a certain time – you can follow the course at whatever pace suits you. You will have classroom access until January 31 2023 and most of the content is downloadable anyway.

Can I join if I live outside of the UK?

Yes you can join from anywhere.

Any other questions?

Drop the team a line at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help.

Here’s what to do if uncertainty is hanging heavy

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Here in England we are in Lockdown 2.0. It’s very different from the first one. Schools are still open. We can get a takeaway coffee and stroll on the beach. We can easily find toilet roll at the supermarket and go for a socially-distanced walk with one friend, and there are even real rumours of a vaccine. But it’s much darker, colder and wetter this time, and while we have figured out ways of doing many things, we also have more knowledge about the impact these restrictions are having. One thing that has been a constant through this time is the uncertainty, and we cannot take that away right now. The truth is we never can, but we put up walls and tie things down and schedule things and pay for things and tell ourselves things to make us feel like we are in control.

Instead, if we can allow the uncertainty, and accept it to be a part of life, we can let go of the effort it takes to want it to be anything else.

Here are things you can try when uncertainty is playing heavily on your heart:

(1)  Make sure you are balanced in your imagination. For every dreadful scenario you dream up, make yourself dream up, in the same level of detail, an equally wonderful scenario. This puts both possibilities in your mind, and then shows you that neither is more of a fact than watching a movie.

(2) For every hope you have, consider a possible challenge, and how you would deal with that if it came. This can help build confidence in your capacity to cope, and resilience when those things come towards you. And then return to the hope, and think about how you will feel if that comes to pass.

(3) Every time you get a wave of anxiety about an uncertain future, take a moment to breathe, and make a note of something positive you can do to help yourself right now.

If you are struggling to decide what to do, simply ask, “What is the best action in this moment that will also support my future self?” It might be supporting your immune system with the things you choose to eat. It might be waiting for the fog to clear, and talking to a friend in the meantime. It might be resting. It might be flying into action with a passion you haven’t seen in years. There is no one right answer. But there is a best answer in this moment with the information you have and the words in your heart.

 

This is an extract from my book We Are in This Together: Finding hope and opportunity in the depths of adversity (available in ebook for just £2.99 or in audiobook read by me)

Introducing The Calm Christmas Podcast! New episodes every Thursday through to January

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Come and join me at my kitchen table deep in the English countryside for a cosy listen during the darkest time of the year. In this brand new series, The Calm Christmas Podcast, I share soothing wintery words from my favourite writers and poets, tips for a stress-free holiday season, and ideas for taking care of yourself at this time of year. There are tips for a natural, sustainable Christmas, and a glimpse of how winter is endured and celebrated around the world.

With new episodes every Thursday from now until January, it’s less of a countdown to Christmas and more of a travelling through winter together. So mark your diary and allow me to inspire you to let go of perfection and create a meaningful, nourishing celebration this year.

There are logs on the fire, tea in the pot and gingerbread straight out of the oven. Pull up a chair and relax✨❤️

The Calm Christmas podcast is a cosy listen during the darkest season of the year.

Whether you will be spending this season alone or with family, and whether you love Christmas or find it stressful (or both!), I hope it The Calm Christmas Podcast is a friend on your crisp morning walk, in your coffee break, while you are painting, or cooking, or curled up by the fire this winter! The first two episodes are available now via iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts and here on my website.

Let the season gently enter in✨

Episode 1: Readying yourself for a calm Christmas (why now really is the time to start thinking about it) including:

  • A cosy introduction to The Calm Christmas Podcast
  • An important question for you to ponder (because asking it now could transform your experience of Christmas this year)
  • This week’s ‘Get ahead tips’
  • Details of some treats for you

Episode 2: Making magic and memories including:

  • Embracing the autumn while preparing for winter (including some fun activities to try in all weathers)
  • Pondering how Christmas might be different this year, and how we can make the most of that
  • Memories of Christmases abroad
  • The one question you need to answer in order to create magic and memories this year
  • This week’s ‘Get ahead tips’

-> Listen now on iTunes, Spotify, Google podcasts or at bethkempton.com/podcast and don’t forget to subscribe for new episodes every Thursday ✨🎶

Observing the seasonal metronome

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I am writing this at the desk in my attic, raindrops splashing against the tiny window, blurring the yellows, reds and turning greens on the tall trees outside. We are in the microsesason of 霎時施 Kosame tokidoki furu, which roughly translates as ‘Light rain showers from time to time’. Japan has 72 of these microseasons, or kō, each lasting about five days.  

I love the idea of the calendar being used as prompt for noticing such small shifts around us. The names of these microseasons track changes in nature, and offer a gentle beat behind the rhythm of the year. 東風解凍 Harukaze kōri o toku ‘East wind melts the ice’ in February, and 桃始笑 Momo hajimete saku ‘First peach blossoms’ in March through 蒙霧升降 Fukaki kiri matō ‘Thick fog descends’ in August and 閉塞成冬 Sora samuku fuyu to naru ‘Cold sets in, winter begins’ in December.

These names originally came from China but did not align with the local seasonal changes in Japan, particularly around Kyoto, so in the late seventeenth century court astronomer Shibukawa Shunkai renamed them. Even with the impact of climate change and the shifts in seasonal timings I have noticed in my own lifetime, there is still a poetic resonance to their passage through the year.

It seems that in nature five days is short enough for a single observation to hold true, yet long enough for things to change, so the next five day season is distinct from the previous one. These microseasons seem to roll from one to the next, and yet they are separate, a little like the days of our lives.

The seasons are a kind of wabi sabi metronome, a steady call back to the present, to noticing, savouring and treasuring.

What have you noticed has emerged with the changing seasons lately? I’d love to know. Come and share over on Instagram @bethkempton.

Being prepared to follow the butterfly: a true story

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“One of the most powerful things I’ve ever read. It describes exactly how I felt about the world before the pandemic, the stress that we were living with and how this enforced pause has allowed a unique chance to evaluate our lives. A revelation.” – one reader’s review of my new book ‘We Are in This Together’, which has just been released

After many hours sitting at my writing desk working on my new book a few weeks ago, I went for a walk in a conservation area near my home. I have been there many times and have a favourite route, which takes me over a bridge and past a pond, where I like to watch for ducks and water boatmen.

That afternoon, for the first time, I noticed a narrow turnoff leading to a small wood. Beyond a short corridor of green the path forked into three. Just at the point where it diverged was a fallen tree, split vertically, perhaps by lightning, into three perfectly equal parts. Each of the three shards of the trunk had fallen so precisely that one-third lay directly across each of the three forks of the path. Every visible route forward was blocked.

The vibrant young leaves clinging to the branches told me this was a recent, sudden event, although we haven’t had a storm in weeks. As I was pondering the mystery of this, a butterfly flitted past and pulled my gaze to the right. There was no path there, only long grass leading round the back of the copse, but it was passable.

I studied the scene, moved by how this felt like some kind of living metaphor for what is going on right now, and how we are being called to accept that the tree has fallen, and the path we know is blocked in every direction. Yet there is a way round and beyond if only we are prepared to change course and follow the butterfly.

There are so many stories in myth of going into the forest, and there is something distinctly mythical about what is going on now. The point is not to clear the felled tree and patch up the damaged pathways. It’s to forge a new path.

The time to start pondering what lies beyond is not when we get there, but now, as we step into the long grass. Because the sooner we start influencing that trajectory with our own actions, the sooner and further the trajectory shifts.

This is our chance to reimagine what could be, and ready ourselves for a cleaner, more conscious inhalation as we step forward into whatever follows all this.

But reimagining is not always easy, especially when we are being pulled in many directions, weighed down by uncertainty and unsure of what the rest of the world will do next. That’s why I wrote We Are in This Together. I have brought to this book a decade of experience helping people to navigate turbulence and reconfigure their lives to do more of what they love.

It’s a short read – about half the length of Wabi Sabi, or just over two hours in audiobook format, but it may be just what you need to turn the remainder of this time into a catalyst for something new and good.

You can get your copy here (or here in the USA or Canada).

Here’s what some of the first readers have had to say about it since it came out on Thursday:

“Just finished this wise and comforting book in which Beth brilliantly captures the crazy, emotional rollercoaster we’ve all been on over the last few months. It’ll be a future classic but for now it’s a must-read for anyone who’s struggling or simply wanting to take stock of their lockdown-altered lives. That will be all of us then!”

“It made me cry because it was like suddenly finding a language that I understood. I had been struggling with loneliness and periods of depression and then the lockdown happened and I just began noticing things and feeling an immense freedom. Then I discovered your beautiful writing and this book and I will always be so very grateful and amazed at the path that led to it.”

“I can’t stop thinking about this book.”

“Can’t recommend it enough.”

“This is an essential, urgent message that everyone needs to read.”

“A soothing and reassuring read to help you take stock and make enlightened choices in these strange times.”

“Just devoured this (audiobook) in 2 hours. You’ve done it again.”

“It is just amazing.”

“I will hold onto this as a way of reflecting on all the things, good and bad, that the pandemic has brought. It’s a keeper!

Sound inspiring? I very much hope it is! You can get your copy here (or here in the USA).

Do hit reply and let me know what this book sparks for you, or come and share on Instagram over @bethkempton.

Much love

Beth Xx

Inhale. Exhale. It’s a good place to start in a crisis. *My new book is out TODAY!*

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Click on the video to discover the three most important questions to be asking yourself right now, and hear me reading the Prologue of my new book We Are in This Together, which is out today!

What was your day-to-day life like back in January 2020? What was working well? What was not working so well? What were you secretly wishing for yourself and for the world?

Perhaps January was full of new year’s resolutions, big plans for the year ahead, or the January blues, Christmas hangover credit card debt or even Brexit. Do you remember Brexit?! In the big wide world stress levels were rising, humanity was rushing, many of us were caught up in the toxic culture of comparison and the pressure to perform and achieve, more and more of us were addicted to our phones, and the earth was struggling to breathe. Do you remember that?

It’s an interesting question to ask ourselves, as the volume gets turned up on the plea to ‘get back to normal’, and everyone starts to try to sell us stuff to make us feel normal again. Well what if ‘normal’ wasn’t actually working that well back then anyway? What if we were ready for something else? What if this time has made us recognise what really matters to us, and what actually doesn’t matter at all?

My new book (out today!) is a book for these uncertain times, to help you navigate your way out of lockdown and into your future with positivity and hope. I have poured everything we have learned over the past decade of helping people deal with major turbulence in their lives in order to emerge doing more of what they love.

You can get We Are in This Together for less than the price of a couple of coffees (or free if you have Audible Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited). If you order it right now you can also get a special free gift from me – FREE access to my new writing course, Words Heal: Finding hope and opportunity in the depths of adversity. This two week course, starting June 8, will include daily inspiring videos from me to prompt your writing practice, and insight into the writing life and a live session all about writing your own book. It’s normally £20 but it’s free with an order of We Are in This Together. Sound good? This is all you need to do:

(1)  Order your copy of We Are in This Together in ebook or audiobook HERE (or here if you are in the US/Canada)

(2)  Go here and fill in the short form with your receipt details https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/course/words-heal/

(3)  Be inspired by the book and then come and join me for the course from June 8!

Much love to you

Beth Xx

Join me for a restorative wellness retreat at River Cottage!

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It is with real delight that I can reveal I will be hosting the first ever wellness retreat at the famous River Cottage HQ, deep in the English countryside here in Devon from 17-21 June 2019, and I would love for you to join me.

Your home for the week will be the 17th century farmhouse and 100-acre smallholding made famous by the long-running TV programme featuring chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

This very special intimate residential retreat will be an opportunity to step away from the rush and chaos of daily life and reconnect – with nature, with food and with yourself. Spending five days in this utterly gorgeous part of the world, you’ll have the opportunity to relax, recharge and explore what you really need in your life right now. I would love to spend this precious time helping you get a fresh perspective and practice self-care.

Through expert nutrition advice from gut health specialist Naomi Devlin, yoga with Barbara Mella, guided reflection, mindful outdoor activities, fireside conversations and more, you will get clarity on how to create more space, and make choices that support your own physical and emotional wellbeing. All this while being nourished with delicious organic food prepared by the River Cottage chefs, and hosted by… me!

If you are feeling stressed and exhausted, overstretched and overwhelmed, or lacking focus and direction, you will find this retreat to be a healing tonic. You will be pampered with attention, food, friendship and time, and leave rested, centred and inspired, with new wellbeing tools and renewed intention.

Every detail of this retreat has been designed to support and nourish you. You will laugh, you will probably cry, you will learn, you will connect, and you will go away feeling like a freshly revealed version of your true self.
Over the course of the five days of the retreat (running 17-21 June 2019) you will be treated with:
• Delicious organic food: all of your nutritionally balanced meals and snacks are included
• Daily yoga
• Mindfulness
• Daily inner wellness sessions with me
• Two full days of hands on cookery classes covering topics such as gut health, fermentation, healthy breakfasts and lunches, mindful eating and flavour bombs.
• Coastal walk along the stunning Jurassic Coast
• Kitchen garden foraging
• Lunch cooked on the beach
• Herbal workshop
• Nutritional advice and discussions
• Reading, relaxing, reflecting by a roaring log fire or under a starry sky
• All rooms and bell tents have comfortable beds with luxury mattresses and bedding

I very much hope to see you there. It’s a small retreat so places are very limited, and there are only a handful left so if you want to be part of this magical experience, hop on over to the River Cottage website and book your spot now. Then be sure to let me know you are attending!

Beth Xx

 
 

 

It is with real delight that I can reveal I will be hosting the first ever wellness retreat at the famous River Cottage HQ, deep in the English countryside here in Devon from 17-21 June 2019, and I would love for you to join me.

Your home for the week will be the 17th century farmhouse and 100-acre smallholding made famous by the long-running TV programme featuring chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

This very special intimate residential retreat will be an opportunity to step away from the rush and chaos of daily life and reconnect – with nature, with food and with yourself. Spending five days in this utterly gorgeous part of the world, you’ll have the opportunity to relax, recharge and explore what you really need in your life right now. I would love to spend this precious time helping you get a fresh perspective and practice self-care.

Through expert nutrition advice from gut health specialist Naomi Devlin, yoga with Barbara Mella, guided reflection, mindful outdoor activities, fireside conversations and more, you will get clarity on how to create more space, and make choices that support your own physical and emotional wellbeing. All this while being nourished with delicious organic food prepared by the River Cottage chefs, and hosted by… me!

If you are feeling stressed and exhausted, overstretched and overwhelmed, or lacking focus and direction, you will find this retreat to be a healing tonic. You will be pampered with attention, food, friendship and time, and leave rested, centred and inspired, with new wellbeing tools and renewed intention.

Every detail of this retreat has been designed to support and nourish you. You will laugh, you will probably cry, you will learn, you will connect, and you will go away feeling like a freshly revealed version of your true self.
Over the course of the five days of the retreat (running 17-21 June 2019) you will be treated with:
• Delicious organic food: all of your nutritionally balanced meals and snacks are included
• Daily yoga
• Mindfulness
• Daily inner wellness sessions with me
• Two full days of hands on cookery classes covering topics such as gut health, fermentation, healthy breakfasts and lunches, mindful eating and flavour bombs.
• Coastal walk along the stunning Jurassic Coast
• Kitchen garden foraging
• Lunch cooked on the beach
• Herbal workshop
• Nutritional advice and discussions
• Reading, relaxing, reflecting by a roaring log fire or under a starry sky
• All rooms and bell tents have comfortable beds with luxury mattresses and bedding

I very much hope to see you there. It’s a small retreat so places are very limited, and there are only a handful left so if you want to be part of this magical experience, hop on over to the River Cottage website and book your spot now. Then be sure to let me know you are attending!

Beth Xx

 

What if you could get insight into what your soul really needs?

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Last year at a conference I met an unassuming but extraordinary woman named Mary-Anne Wagner.  As soon as I met her I knew I wanted to be friends with her, and she later said the same to me. Funny how that happens sometimes. Mary-Anne has a unique gift which I had never even heard of, never mind experienced, but when I dug deeper to understand what she does for a living, I had my mind blown.

Mary-Anne does what is called ‘soul counselling’, communicating with the souls of loved ones and/or animals past and present to share messages you need to hear to find peace in your life. Something Mary-Anne told me about what the soul of one of my loved ones wanted me to know, that she had no way of normally knowing, actually changed the way I see a significant part of my life.

She can even invite your own soul to connect with her, to show her what it most wants you to know. And when she passes on what she has been shown, it feels like something you knew deep down, but perhaps ignored, or turned away from, or allowed to be shouted down by noisier things in your life. Many people have found what she tells them brings them great comfort after experiencing trauma or loss. I think she is magical.

What if you could get insight into what your soul really needs? FS PODCAST FB S2 016 LR

Mary-Anne’s personal story is compelling and the wisdom she has gained from this unusual ‘career’ is incredibly important. I simply had to invite Mary-Anne onto my podcast to find out more about how she discovered this gift, how she has helped others heal, and what we can all learn from the recurring themes that she has been witness to. The result is a conversation like no podcast you have ever heard. Don’t miss this!

LISTEN HERE

I would love to hear what you make of this extraordinary story. Please do come and share over on Instagram @bethkempton.

Have a great week

Beth