NC State Fall Wellness Day

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 – 10:00 am–7:00 pm

When we spend time around plants and nature, we just feel better, and there's constantly more and more data being generated to support this claim. In observance of NC State's Fall Wellness Day, we invite students, faculty, and everyone else to our gardens for a day of self-care and de-stressing as we emphasize the critical role that interaction with nature plays in our emotional well-being. We'll have guided and self-guided wellness experiences available throughout the day to encourage people to use this day to care for themselves and take advantage of the Arboretum as the phenomenal mental health resource for the community that it is.

Coruscated maple in the shade of Ulmus 'Frosty'

Guided Activity

Forest Therapy Mini-Sessions
NCSU Students Register Here

1:30 pm & 2:30 pm — Join certified Forest Therapy Guide Shawn Ramsey for a 30-minute Forest Therapy Experience as she encourages you to slow your pace, open your senses to the present moment, and experience a new way of being in nature. Registration for this event is available through Reporter to give priority to NC State students.

Interested in a more intensive Forest Therapy experience? Join us for Shawn's Thursday morning class or her Sunday morning class later in the month.

garden view through wood arbor

Self-Guided Experiences

Picnic at the Arboretum!

11:30 am–1:30 pm — Bring your lunch and your friends and come have a picnic on The Great Lawn! We'll have towels and blankets for you to use (and return!) should you need one. We'll also have garden treat bags with mindfully-inspired goodies to help remind you of your connection to nature for your wellness day, and beyond!

Self-Guided Walking Meditation

Stop by our Visitor's Center anytime throughout the day to pick up a Walking Meditation handout, or to get the link for the YouTube recording of the meditation. You can read or listen along to the queues as you set your intentions for your meditation and mindfully attend to the garden and your experience of it. This activity can be done in any location and can be done in as much or as little time as you need, depending on how you're feeling. There is no set path you need to follow; you simply follow your heart and go wherever the garden is calling you!

Registration

Registration for the Guided Forest Therapy mini-sessions is available to NCSU students through Reporter.

No registration is necessary for the self-guided experience or joining us for the picnic lunch.

Location
JC Raulston Arboretum at NC State University, 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, NC 27606.
Directions
Need directions? Click here.
Parking
Free parking is available at the JC Raulston Arboretum and along Beryl Road.
Questions
Please write jcraprograms@ncsu.edu for more information about this event.