Have you heard mention of Sit Spots in the forest bathing community yet?
Perhaps you’re wondering what they are, why they matter, and how to use them.
That’s precisely why I put together this video and related post. To help answer those questions and give you some more personal insight into sit spots.
Like I say in the video, don’t make a production of choosing a sit spot. It’s not complicated, but I do have a few tips to help you make the best of it.
What is a sit spot?
“Sit Spot” is just a fun term for an inviting spot you can sit down and rest in nature.
Remember back to when you were a kid and you had a secret hiding spot or a place you ran away to when you were mad at your mom?
Yeah, that would be your kid version of a sit spot.
As an adult, you want a similar place you can run and hide when you need to get away.
Or just a place you can find solace or rest.
A Sit Spot is an inviting spot where you can sit down and rest in nature.
What do you do in your sit spot?
Your Sit Spot is the ideal location for your forest bathing practice. The place where you practice your exercises and “just be” in nature.
It can also be a wonderful place to:
- Bird watch
- Pray
- Meditate
- Read
- Draw
- Journal
I use my sit spot for all kinds of tasks. I love going to my sit spot even for menial tasks, because it’s a better place to work than indoors.
How do you find a sit spot?
Just walk around and get a feel for the area you want to explore. Keep your eyes out for a place that looks like it would be a good place to sit.
An inviting space.
A comfortable seat.
You probably want to choose a sit spot that doesn’t get much traffic so you can be alone. You don’t want to feel weird and exposed when you’re deep in concentration.
You want to feel uninhibited when you do your forest bathing practice.
That’s why I suggest a spot slightly off the trail. Not far enough to get lost but far enough removed from foot traffic.
Where should you have a forest bathing sit spot?
I suggest finding a sit spot in your yard, for sure. Or close by your home, if you don’t have a yard.
You should have a place you can return to easily, that doesn’t require a trek.
I also suggest finding a sit spot in each of the woods you regularly visit. A place you can return to. A familiar place. A place you know by heart, with your heart.
Benefits of returning to your sit spot
The first reason why I suggest a sit spot in each place you regularly visit is because it can enhance your forest bathing practice.
When you forest bathe, you attune yourself to all the sights, sounds, and smells around you. You tune in with all your senses.
The cool thing about a sit spot, is that you get to investigate all the subtle changes that happen in one single area of the woods.
You notice all those subtle changes in the environment that you wouldn’t notice if you didn’t return to the same exact spot.
The second reason why you should have sit spots in your favorite places is that it makes each place feel more like home.
More familiar.
More inviting.
More comfortable and safe.
The more “at home” you feel there, the more intimately
connected to nature you start to feel.
How do you prepare your sit spot?
You don’t need to do, bring, or prepare anything special to use your sit spot.
Some people like to wait until the forest “invites” them in.
Others like to allow their intuition to guide them.
Still others thank their sit spot for its hospitality.
I just go to my sit spot and enjoy it.
You do you.
There are a few practical ways to make your sit spot more comfortable though.
If you don’t want a wet, dirty bottom, you may want to bring something to sit on–here are 8 ideas!
If you have a sit spot in your yard, make sure to keep it mowed, clean out the prickers and brush, and keep your pets away from it;)
If you have a sit spot in a public forest, make sure to leave no trace.
That’s it! Like I said, doesn’t need to be more complicated than that.
I hope this article inspires you to find and use a sit spot for your forest bathing practice.
If you want a free sit spot forest bathing exercise, check out this enlightening guest post I wrote for the ANFT.
For access to my full Forest Bathing Immersion Library, check it out here.
Tell me a story about your favorite sit spot in the comments!