Meet Kate
Your Forest Bathing Guide
Hello, my name is Kate. I am the founder of The Backyard Bathers, and I am your resident Forest Bathing (Shinrin Yoku) guide.
I am neither a Zen master, nor an artist. I am neither a psychotherapist, nor an ecologist. I am a city dweller accustomed to being in an urban setting on a day-to-day basis, plugged into technology and being charged up most times of the day, zooming in and out of heavy human and road traffic, popping in and out of high-rise apartments, skyscrapers and underground malls. Just one who secretly possesses a biophilia trait, is a closet daydreamer and feels hidden joy from creating things with my hands.
Before I started taking long lone nature walks, discovered the practice of forest bathing and founded The Backyard Bathers all in the fateful year of 2020, I was unhappy, unhealthy (physically, mentally and emotionally) and unfulfilled. It felt like I was constantly overwhelmed by the intensity and pressures of society and city life, yet putting up a controlled front while leading an underwhelming existence.
Which is why I “get” my clients (affectionately known as my "bathers"), appreciate their perspectives and can relate to them. By listening to their stories and respecting their paces, I personalise each mindful walk, forest bathing session and my guiding approach accordingly, to offer an authentic experience for each one of them to connect with nature and with themselves.
Walk by walk, “bath” by “bath”, client by client, I aspire to bring happiness and holistic wellness to others like myself. With time, I hope to build a forest bathing community here in the backyard of my home, Singapore, the City in Nature.
Kate's Journey as a Forest Bathing Guide
I trained and received certification as a Forest Bathing (Shinrin Yoku) guide with The Mindful Tourist.
What started as an online search for English language-conducted Forest Bathing retreats in Japan (where the roots of Shinrin Yoku was laid), led to me being acquainted with this boutique set-up which is big on heart and clear in vision. While the pandemic situation since 2020 meant that this dream retreat has yet to realise, it did not stop me from broadening my horizon on forest bathing, environmental psychology and holistic wellness with TMT, and connecting with the global TMT community. With the backing of solid wellness industry experience and strong academic knowledge from TMT's co-founders Pin and Milena, I was equipped with relevant skillsets and built my foundation as a Forest Bathing guide.
At the same time, I gained a thirst to continuously deepen my knowledge on the art and science of nature connectedness along with its impact of our holistic well-being, as well as seeded an aspiration to spread the practice of Forest Bathing to others. To me, a wellness and mindfulness practice as accessible, beneficial and with relatively low environment impact as Forest Bathing, deserves to be known and practised by many more.
That is why The Backyard Bathers and I are here.