THE GREEN LINE
ORIGINAL STORY
How forest bathing can help improve mental well-being: Tips from Evergreen Brick Works
The Green Line team took a trip to Leaside-Bennington to learn how the Forest Bathing Club at Evergreen Brick Works is teaching Torontonians the history of the land and how to reconnect with nature to improve mental well-being.
Emily Pleasance, nature and forest therapy guide, sits at the Forest Bathing Club circle in Evergreen Brick Works at 550 Bayview Ave.
: AMANDA SERAPHINA/The Green Line.
AMANDA SERAPHINA JAMES RAJAKUMAR
Indian immigrant with a post-grad in journalism from Centennial College. Now living in Grange Park, meeting new people, and hearing different stories. Has four names, so it’s a pick-your-player situation.
MARY NEWMAN
British-Canadian journalist with a decade’s experience producing for the BBC and CBC. Hails from Robin Hood country so naturally hates wealth inequality and loves organized labour. Now resides in the dog paradise of Roncesvalles.
Oct. 31, 2025
How to find your nature fix in Toronto
- Gather a group of residents to explore green spaces in your neighbourhood using the City of Toronto’s park listings.
- Carry blankets or mats to sit on.
- Find a spot that’s not too busy and practice breathwork together.
- Try forest bathing: Open up your five senses to nature, listen to the birds and insects, touch the grass and leaves, smell the trees, look at the different colours of foliage and taste the air.
- Continue to meet monthly to see improvement in mental health over time.
Living in the city is always busy, with schedules filled with activities — but it can also be tiring and alienating.
That’s why one group in Leaside-Bennington is helping Torontonians pause, breathe and reconnect with nature through the practice of forest bathing.
Participants of Evergreen Brick Works’ Forest Bathing Club sit in a circle at 550 Bayview Ave.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.
The Toronto Foundation's 2024 Vital Signs report found that 26 per cent of adults in Toronto reported moderate symptoms of depression, and 17 per cent reported moderate symptoms of anxiety.
What's more, a 2023 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health study found that Ontario youth experience increasing levels of psychological distress. Thirty eight per cent of students rated their mental health as “fair” or “poor” and 37 per cent reported elevated stress.
Toby Davine, manager of communications and PR at Evergreen, a national nonprofit focused on public spaces, says that having an organized way of connecting with nature helps in overall well-being.
“Many of us live in tiny apartments downtown, so access to nature is so important. We know that green spaces help alleviate chronic health conditions, improve our mental health and even social cohesion, and that's really important to us at Evergreen. We’re really trying to transform our public spaces in cities for the health of people and planet.”
Signage for the Forest Bathing Club at Evergreen Brick Works at 550 Bayview Ave.
: Anthony Lippa-Hardy/The Green Line.
In 2023, Evergreen Brick Works began working with Emily Pleasance, a nature and forest therapy guide. Pleasance leads the Forest Bathing Club, a guided nature therapy session, inspired by the Japanese art of "Shinrin-yoku."
Participants immerse themselves into nature using all five senses — sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. A 2020 Canadian review in the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education found that this form of nature therapy helps to reduce stress and improve mental health.
The club has had over 300 participants to date.
Emily Pleasance, nature and forest therapy guide, uses objects found in nature to help participants in the Forest Bathing Club reflect on themselves.
: Anthony Lippa-Hardy/The Green Line.
Pleasance says that people often dismiss forest bathing on the premise of already being outdoorsy or a nature lover. But in reality, the practice goes beyond spending time in nature; it teaches one to be still and understand their bodies better, which ultimately results in becoming a better person, she explains.
“Trees emit these things called phytoncides, which are just like oils, and they are anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial — all things that [trees] produce to protect themselves, and we absorb them in our skin and inhale them in our breath, and that has a direct correlation with a boost in our immune system. So there’s tons of science behind it."
She adds it's also about the feeling of being connected to others, which brings hope.
“We need hope in these times, and hope doesn’t happen in isolation.”
Janet Restrup, who’s been a participant at the Forest Bathing Club since May 2024, says forest bathing is an emotional regulation tool. She adds that the group has helped her open up and share her mind.
“Last month, when I came to Forest Bathing, I had found out the day before that my mom had a heart attack, and I was out of town and I couldn’t be with her right away. So that’s what I brought to the group that day. I said, 'Listen, my mom just had a heart attack.' I came into the group with a lot of apprehension and a lot of grief, and what I left with was a sense of calm and a sense of hope.”
Restrup shares, “when I went to her the next day to visit, I was emotional as I would be, but my emotional regulation was so much stronger because I had come [to Forest Bathing], I had gotten it out, and then I went and I visited. And it was like night and day, really. It’s not control over emotions, it’s resilience, it teaches you resilience.”
Janet Restrup, a participant in the Forest Bathing Club, stands by the group at 550 Bayview Ave.
: Anthony Lippa-Hardy/The Green Line.
The Forest Bathing Club hopes to expand its reach to younger Torontonians by partnering with schools to help children better understand nature and use it to regulate their emotions.
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