Since my son and I began this forest bathing exploration I feel like shinrin yoku, or forest bathing, is all I see on the social media platforms.  Internationally the call to the public is to unplug and rewild yourself. Not a bad invitation.

Yet there is a part of me that feels like we are doing to forest bathing what we as a Western culture did to yoga. We commercialized it.

Americans have a way of complicating the uncomplicated. In India, yoga was practiced on a dirt floor and breath work and stillness was just as important as movement. Slowly, we took that precious practice and made it hotter, faster, more rigorous with greater expectations. We started advertising yoga clothing, gear, containers to carry your yoga mat, and well, it became a multi-million dollar industry because everyone needed to look like they practiced yoga.

Here we are in the forest. Frankly, it takes nothing more than decent clothing suitable for the season. You do not need grounding shoes and apps that teach you how to walk and see and feel.

You just need a forest. Well, and a little common sense.

My son and I hope you stay at our cottages in our forest. They are beautiful and I know you will feel that sense of peace if you seek it. But ultimately you must seek it in yourself.  It is there. Possibly slightly hidden because you are hurried, stressed, depressed, anxious, and fragmented. The forest will only help you if you are willing to help yourself.

It is not magic but it could be magical if you open yourself to the natural flow of time. In our home environments time is scheduled, rest is brief or absent. Time in the forest follows the seasons and some folks feel this is a little witchy around the full moon or the equinox.

Perhaps. But our ancestors hundreds of years ago lived in sync with seasonal changes and time followed sun and moon cycles. There was a complacency with what they could not control and what they knew would be there the next day. Circadian rhythms. Sunrise. Sunset. And more.

Staying at Kumari of the Woods could be healing and maybe transformative. It could also be less than what you expect if you expect a luxury stay in the forest.

If you book a cottage because you want to run a million errands and visit a thousand friends, then you may not be happy traveling two miles on a dirt road to your cottage.  Of  course, we will welcome you. We do not discriminate. We do not hold a political belief that discriminates or excludes someone from finding peace within their heart.

We are offering discounts for our first summer open 2026. And greater discounts if you consider a week’s stay. Try plugging in Summer 2026 to your booking from our website:

We Welcome You.

We value your choice to stay remote yet not too far from reality.

We are grateful for our fiber optic internet because some guests need to work and communicate virtually on their stay. 

And most of all, we are appreciative of the natural beauty that we get to embrace everyday at Kumari of the Woods. 

And stay tuned because in June, our first Hideaway, a glamping site, will open up. Fewer bells and whistles. More camping and finding your peace over a campfire. 

Wherever you land in your adventures, my son and I wish you a landing place where you feel accepted, welcomed and cherished for the amazing rock star you are. Do not settle for less.

With Grace & Gratitude,

Kumari Patricia