Tamara Schmidt guiding in the autumn forest, Eastern Townships
Forest Therapy Walks · Fall 2026

Autumn walks
in the forest.

This fall, the invitation is an easy yes. On Tuesday mornings I guide a community walk in Cowansville, pay what you can, running through November 3. An hour outside, an unhurried pace, and a few invitations to slow down and take in the season.

The walks are for women who want real time for themselves. If a health professional pointed you toward time in nature, you are just as welcome here.

In-Person Tuesday Mornings Cowansville, QC Through Nov 3
This season

Community walks,
Tuesday mornings.

Through November 3, I guide a community walk in Cowansville on Tuesday mornings. Sixty minutes, an easy pace, and a few invitations to slow down and notice. It is a lighter version of the Thursday sessions, and the simplest way to begin.

Pay what you can

Suggested $20, taxes included  |  60 minutes  |  Tuesday mornings through Nov 3

New to this, or arriving on a nature prescription? These mornings are exactly for you.

Register for a Walk

The simple version

  • Registration is free and takes a minute
  • Pay in person, cash or e-transfer
  • Tuesday mornings, through November 3
  • Dates and details are on the registration page
  • No experience or special gear needed
  • Come as you are
What this is

Not a hike.
A return.

Forest therapy is a guided practice, rooted in the Japanese tradition of Shinrin-yoku, that uses the pace and presence of the natural world to help you drop out of your head and back into your body.

We walk at a pace that invites noticing. I offer a series of invitations that open your senses to what is around you and, from there, to what is going on inside. The forest does most of the work. Your job is simply to show up.

This is good for women who are capable, busy, and running on a kind of low-grade depletion. The ones who are fine, technically, but could use a real breath.

A walk might help when you are:

  • running on empty and not sure when that started
  • too much in your head and not enough in your body
  • craving something real, something you can actually feel
  • ready to make time in nature an actual practice, not just a plan

A 2019 University of Exeter study of 20,000 people found that 120 minutes a week in a natural setting is the threshold for good health and well-being. Not more. Just that. It adds up in whatever increments you can manage.

One walk counts. And it tends to change how you move through the rest of your week.

You do not need experience, special gear, or a reason beyond wanting to be here.

Register for a Walk
Autumn forest in the Eastern Townships
The Thursday experience

What happens
on a Thursday evening.

We meet at the pavilion at the Cowansville Nature Centre as the evening light begins to settle. Sessions begin at 6 pm. From there, we walk together, slowly, with the trees.

I offer a series of invitations along the way: to notice, to breathe, to sit with something. There is no pressure to share. You can move through the whole evening entirely in your own experience, and that is completely right.

We close with a forest tea and light snacks, which has become one of the parts people remember longest. Something about drinking tea made from what is growing around you, standing still in the woods at dusk, has a way of landing.

Sessions run 90 minutes. I keep groups small so that the space stays real.

Red maple leaves in autumn, Eastern Townships
Rosehips in autumn
Autumn treeline under an open sky, Eastern Townships
Thursday evenings

The fuller experience,
while the season lasts.

$35

Per session, tax included  |  90 minutes

Remaining fall dates

  • Thu Sept 17
  • Thu Sept 24
  • Thu Oct 1

These are the last Thursday evening sessions of the year. After October 1, they pause for the season.

  • Guided forest therapy walk with an ANFT-certified guide
  • A series of sensory invitations along the trail
  • Forest tea and light snacks to close
  • Small group, kept intentionally limited
  • No prior experience needed
Reserve a Thursday Spot

Where and how to prepare

  • Where: Centre de la nature de Cowansville. Meet at the pavilion.
  • Parking: Free for Cowansville residents. If you are coming from outside the city, parking fees apply.
  • Washrooms: Available on site.
  • Dress: For cool autumn weather, with warm layers. The forest runs a few degrees cooler than the street, and evenings arrive earlier now.
  • Bring: Water and a journal if you like to write.
  • Weather: If conditions make the session unsafe, it will be rescheduled and you will be invited to a future date at no extra cost.
What people take away

From past
participants.

Here is what participants said afterward, in their own words.

The invitations helped me to slow down and really experience nature. I've been so used to just hiking through the woods without slowing down to sense, feel, and see all of the detail. It was a great experience and I wish it could have been longer.

A participant

I really felt your one foot in and one foot out, and it helped me drop in and immerse myself in the invitations. The tea ceremony and the location of it, I loved. Thank you, Tamara, for guiding me in closer connection to this beautiful land.

A participant

I would say it's a great de-stressor. You'll learn new ways of approaching a walk in the forest that are beneficial, and that you will carry the rest of your life. This is a walk for people seeking something real.

A participant
The research

Why walk with a guide?
The evidence.

Every guided walk offers the Three R’s. Behind each one sits a body of research. Guided forest therapy is linked to lower blood pressure, reduced cortisol, longer and better sleep, and a steadier mood.

I gathered the studies into a short guide you can read, keep, or pass along to the skeptic in your life. Every claim is referenced.

Download the Guide (PDF)
  • Rest.

    The pace and shape of the walk make room for a calm that is hard to reach in daily life.

  • Reconnect.

    People leave feeling more connected to nature, to others, and to themselves.

  • Reciprocate.

    Feeling nourished by the land tends to stir a wish to give something back.

Questions

A few things
worth knowing.

When do the walks run this fall?

Community walks continue on Tuesday mornings through November 3. The Thursday evening sessions have three dates left: September 17 and 24, and October 1. After that, the Thursday sessions pause for the season.

What is the difference between the community walks and the Thursday sessions?

The Tuesday community walk is a shorter, simpler morning version, 60 minutes, priced pay what you can so anyone can come. Thursday evenings are the fuller 90-minute experience: a small group kept intentionally limited, a longer arc of invitations, and the forest tea to close.

Is this the same as a hike?

Not at all. We move very slowly, and the point is presence rather than distance. You will cover a fraction of the ground you would on a hike, and feel like you covered much more.

Do I need to be fit or experienced outdoors?

No. The trail is accessible and the pace is unhurried. No prior outdoor experience needed.

What if the weather is bad?

These are outdoor, in-person walks. If conditions are not safe, the walk will be postponed and you will be invited to a future date. You will not be charged again.

Do I have to share or participate out loud?

Sharing is never required. The invitations are entirely personal. Some people move through the whole walk inside their own experience, and that is completely welcome.

Can I book a private walk for my group?

Yes, private group walks can be arranged. Write to me and we will shape it together.

Is this therapy?

No. Forest therapy is a guided wellness practice, not psychotherapy. It does not replace the care of a mental health professional. Come as you are; no diagnosis or label required.

Autumn hillside in the Eastern Townships

Move at your own pace. The forest is here when you are ready.

This fall, the easiest way in is a Tuesday morning community walk, pay what you can, through November 3. Three Thursday evening sessions remain before the season closes, on September 17 and 24, and October 1.

Between walks, Sève keeps the practice going, a few minutes outside each day.

Register for a Walk Explore Sève Get in Touch

Tamara Schmidt is a member of Nature and Forest Therapy of Canada

Member of Nature and Forest Therapy of Canada, Sylvothérapie et interventions par la nature du Canada

With appreciation,
Tamara 🌿