Reset Season Starts Now with Coastal Forest Bathing on Vancouver Island

There’s a moment on Vancouver Island when your body responds before your mind does.

The air changes. The sound softens. Your breath slows without being told to.

Coastal Forest Bathing at Malahat SkyWalk is designed to meet you in that moment—inviting you into a slower, more intentional way of moving through the coastal forest and into the open sky beyond.

This isn’t about doing wellness. It’s about creating space where wellness happens naturally.

What Is Coastal Forest Bathing?

Coastal Forest Bathing is a self-guided wellness experience that encourages presence, awareness, and reflection through gentle movement and sensory engagement. There’s no set pace, no agenda, and no finish line—only time and space to reconnect.

Unlike traditional guided programs, this experience is intentionally unhurried and personal. Guests are invited to walk slowly, breathe deeply, and notice what usually goes unseen when life moves faster than we do.

A Forest You Can Only Find on Vancouver Island

The coastal forests surrounding Malahat SkyWalk are defined by their proximity to the sea. As you move through the experience, you’ll encounter:

• Arbutus trees, with smooth, twisting trunks that peel and shift with the seasons
• Towering Douglas fir, grounding the forest with quiet scale and stillness
• Moss-covered understory and shifting light filtered through the canopy
• The subtle scent of earth mixed with salt air drifting up from the Salish Sea

Listen closely and you’ll hear it: wind through branches, distant birds, and the hush that settles in when the forest begins to set the pace.

Here, the forest doesn’t rush you. It invites you to match its rhythm.

Self-Guided by Design

Coastal Forest Bathing is intentionally self-guided, allowing each guest to engage in a way that feels right for them.

Along the journey, simple prompts encourage:

• Mindful walking and breath awareness
• Sensory noticing—sound, texture, light, scent
• Gentle reflection and intention-setting
• Gratitude for small, often overlooked moments

This approach allows space for clarity, creativity, and calm to surface naturally—without instruction or expectation.

Resetting Your Rhythm, Between Forest and Sky

As elevation changes, perspective does too. Moving from forest floor to open sky, many guests find themselves reflecting differently:

• What pace actually feels sustainable?
• What would I like to welcome more of this season?
• What can I let go of?

These thoughts aren’t prompted or forced. They arrive quietly, often when the mind finally has room to wander.

Sometimes, clarity shows up when we stop trying to find it.

A Warm Beginning, Rooted in Place

For the month of January, your Coastal Forest Bathing experience begins with a small but meaningful local touch: a complimentary hot beverage from Queen Bee Farms.

Located just a short drive from Malahat SkyWalk, Queen Bee Farms is a Vancouver Island favourite, known for small-batch honey, mead, and a deep respect for the land. Starting your walk with something warm helps signal the shift—from busy to present, from doing to being. (Simply mention “Queen Bee” at the Welcome Centre to receive your complimentary beverage.)

Guided When You Need It

While Coastal Forest Bathing is designed as a self-guided experience, select guided sessions are offered throughout the month of January for those seeking deeper facilitation.

Led by an expert breathwork and mindfulness practitioner, Candice McBryde, guided sessions incorporate:

• Meditation and breath awareness
• Intention-setting and affirmations
• Gratitude and reflective practices

For corporate teams, leadership retreats, or planned healing sessions, private guided experiences are also available—offering a meaningful alternative to traditional offsites and wellness programming.

An Invitation to Slow Down

Coastal Forest Bathing isn’t about escaping your life.

It’s about returning to it with a steadier rhythm, clearer perspective, and a deeper sense of presence.

Between forest and sky, Vancouver Island offers something rare: time to breathe, space to notice, and permission to move forward gently.

Sometimes, the most powerful reset is simply slowing down.