Vivian Winterhoff lives in the United States, she is a Forest Bathing Guide, trainer and mentor in FTHub. She has a deep and practical approach to Forest Bathing, senses and empathy. After meeting her in the training it is no surprise to learn she was a little girl when she started writing a book about the forest and taking pictures of trees with her first camera. Vivian spent long years in the world of economics, ending at the London School of Economics as the manager of a research centre in financial markets.
Labels elude her, and we like that a lot. Then she studied Ecological Design Thinking, trained in Somatic practices (Body-Mind Centering, Sensory Awareness and Elsa Gindler’s “Arbeit am Menschen”) and created Joy in Movement, where she guides sensory movement meditations and Forest Bathing walks.
Why did you decide to train with this team?
🌿I love working with international teams and FTHub is truly international. Each team member is inspiring in their own way, with specific expertise, and it is exciting to catch a glimpse of their forests and their part of the world. As an entrepreneur and someone who loves collaboration and supporting others, I am particularly excited about the “Hub” model of the Forest Therapy Hub. The philosophy of mutual support and of sharing information, local wisdom and experiences resonate with me. Global collaboration and communication are vital in today’s world, where we want to reach a deeper understanding of how connected we all are. We each are from and work in diverse cultures and can come together to coordinate action on social and environmental issues in this way and be inspired by one another. I see FTHub contributing to these connections significantly.
How does Forest Bathing fit into your professional activity?
🌿I help people in general but especially solopreneurs take the “busy” out of business; that is, I help them overcome overwhelm, stress and anxiety with unique “sensory movement meditations”. Nature connection through our bodies and therefore through our senses, including via activities like Forest Bathing, are really important practices in finding peace and calm and what is truly important in life. The meditations I offer are easily done outside – doing them in the forest only enriches the experience.
What do you enjoy the most when you guide Forest Bathing sessions or perform Forest Therapy interventions?
🌿I really enjoy simply holding the space for others to connect in their own way to the beauty in our natural environments and seeing their eyes light up when they have discovered something joyous – sometimes it’s a memory, sometimes it’s something new. It is humbling to see when a person has been struggling with something, the forest offers up guiding answers or simply comfort. I also feel that the forest appreciates the attention and the care that participants inevitably offer as the experience unfolds.
