MAVEN'S FORGE

Connecting people with the land through slow, sensory-centered forest therapy walks.

BOOK NOW

Forest Therapy Walks in Cashiers, NC

Maven’s Forge invites you to step into the forest, follow what catches your eye, and notice what begins to shift along the way.

Reserve

Mission

To invite individuals to experience the healing power of nature through forest therapy, forging a bridge that reconnects them with the wild world and, ultimately, with themselves.

Meet Alissa

I'm Alissa, a kind-hearted individual who discovered healing in the beauty of nature. My journey has inspired me to enroll with The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy to become a certified Forest Therapy Guide.

What is Forest Bathing?

Forest bathing, known as Shinrin-yoku in Japan, is a mindful practice of immersing oneself in the atmosphere of the forest. It is not about hiking or exercising but about slowing down, awakening the senses, and forming a deep connection with the natural world around you. As described by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT), forest bathing invites you to walk through the forest with no agenda other than to simply be... listening, observing, breathing, and allowing the forest to engage with you.

Sat, Jul 25
Forest Therapy Walk
Serenity Chapel
RSVP
Jul 25, 2026, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Serenity Chapel, 214 New Trillium Way Cashiers, NC 28717
Join me for a complimentary Forest Therapy Walk in Cashiers. Slow down, wander gently, and reconnect with nature. Limited to 6 participants.
Multiple Dates
Sat, Aug 08
Morning in the Forest
Cashiers, NC
RSVP
Aug 08, 2026, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Cashiers, NC
Begin your month with an hour of quiet connection in the forest. Slow down, engage your senses, and enjoy a peaceful morning surrounded by nature.
Sat, Oct 10
Autumn in the Forest
Cashiers, NC
RSVP
Oct 10, 2026, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Cashiers, NC
As the forest begins its autumn transformation, you're invited to wander, notice, and reconnect with nature. Experience the beauty of the season through a slow, guided Forest Therapy walk.
Sat, Jan 30
Winter Stillness
Cashiers, NC
RSVP
Jan 30, 2027, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Cashiers, NC
Winter reveals a quieter side of the forest. Join Maven's Forge for a complimentary guided Forest Therapy walk and discover the beauty, stillness, and subtle rhythms of the season.
Sat, Apr 24
Spring Gathering
Cashiers, NC
RSVP
Apr 24, 2027, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Cashiers, NC
As the forest awakens, you're invited to slow down, notice more, and experience the beauty of spring through a complimentary guided Forest Therapy walk.

Nature. Presence. Sensory

Maven’s Forge creates quiet, intentional spaces where the forest leads, attention deepens, and reconnection unfolds naturally.

The path to restoration extends from our heart to the heart of sentient beings,and that path will be different for every person.

Paul Hawken

Nature is not just a backdrop to our lives, it is an active participant in our story, whispering truths, offering solace, and grounding us in the present.

In its quiet wisdom, the forest reminds us to slow down, to breathe deeply, and to see ourselves as part of something infinitely larger and profoundly interconnected.

Maven's Forge

Journal

The Science + Benefits of Forest Bathing

Forest bathing isn’t just a relaxing activity, it’s also backed by science, proving that time spent in nature can dramatically improve our physical and mental health. Research from around the world shows that spending time in natural environments can lower stress, reduce anxiety, improve mood, and enhance immune function. These benefits are not just anecdotal; they are supported by a growing body of research that suggests that the forest itself has a healing power. The Scienc

Why consider guided Forest Therapy walks?

Because slowing down is not something most of us remember how to do alone. Forest Therapy walks are intentionally slow, sensory-based experiences. A guide helps create a container where there is no pressure to perform, hike, achieve, or "do it right." You're invited to move at the pace of your nervous system rather than your calendar. Because nature does the work, and the guide helps you notice. Forest Therapy is not about being taught or fixed. Nature is the healer. A traine

What are phytoncides?

Phytoncides are volatile organic compounds that plants, especially trees, release into the air. Think of them as a tree’s natural language of protection and communication. They help trees: Defend against insects, bacteria, and fungi Communicate stress or health to nearby plants Shape the microbial world around them For us, they’re part of why forest air feels so calming and restorative. Do all trees emit phytoncides? Almost all trees emit some volatile compounds, but: Conifer

When I launched Maven’s Forge, I wasn’t yet a certified Forest Therapy Guide. I only knew that I had to change my life.

I knew two things with absolute certainty: nature had been the most important relationship in my life, carrying me through some of my hardest chapters, and my career as a hairstylist in the film industry was no longer the right path for me.

I had to be completely honest with myself.

Then I discovered the ANFT, and everything clicked. It felt as though I had finally found the work I had been moving toward all along. Every day, I wake up grateful that I get to share my love of the natural world with anyone willing to slow down and experience it with me.

It has been a calling my entire life, I just didn’t have the language for it until now.

Leaving one career to become what I jokingly call a public relations person for trees isn’t exactly the most financially sensible decision. Trees don’t pay particularly well, arguably even worse than independent films, but I have never been happier than when I am guiding people into the forest and watching them reconnect with themselves and the living world around them.

You can call me whatever you want… dreamer, idealist, forest guide, tree enthusiast.

I simply decided to follow what I knew was true, and somehow the universe met me halfway.

#forestbathing #foresttherapy #natureandforesttherapy #foresttherapyguide #forestlover

Some of my favorite moments in nature happen after I’ve stopped walking. When I settle onto a rock, a fallen log, or the roots of an old tree, the landscape begins to feel different. Birds return. The breeze shifts. Tiny movements I would have walked right past begin to appear.

#foresttherapyguide #foresttherapy #forestbathing #shinrinyoku #cashiersnc

I used to think I needed a destination.
More and more, I find myself simply following the sound of a creek.
It has never led me somewhere I didn’t want to be. 🍃✨

#foresttherapy #cashiersnc #foresttherapyguide #forestbathing #foresttherapyguide

The more we notice, the more alive the world becomes. 🍃

#forestbathing #foresttherapy #forestlover #guide #notice

Reading Paul Stamets is a bit like being handed a lantern and invited underground. The book is full of fascinating possibilities… how fungi connect, heal, decompose, transform, and participate in the living systems that surround us. At times it feels wildly ambitious, at times almost unbelievable, yet it never stopped making me look at the forest floor with greater curiosity.

#mycelium #forestbathing #fungi #mushroom #soil

I had a lovely morning with my sister-in-law scouting Edward Baker Preserve for possible future forest therapy walks. 🌿
Of course, I brought tiny scrolls, and she joined me for my sit-spot along the way.
We wandered the trails, listened to the creek, and spent time getting acquainted with the forest 🍃🙌🏼 I’m looking forward to spending more time here and discovering what invitations this beautiful preserve may have to offer!

#natureandforesttherapyguide #foresttherapy #edwardbakerpreserve #cashiersnc #forestbathing

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}