"Under the same starry sky, everyone is allowed to be themselves": Birgit Snelleman on connection in nature
Birgit Snelleman, Nature Connector / Shinrin Yoku guide and trainer
Birgit Snelleman is a Nature Connector, Shinrin Yoku guide and trainer. She believes strongly in what can happen when people spend time in nature together. “‘It’s especially in nature that a special kind of connection arises between people,”’ she says. “‘In a group, experiences are shared from the heart, while others listen with genuine attention.’” Research into the effects of sharing personal experiences supports what she sees in practice: opening up to others can be deeply connecting, and in her view, that social element is what makes working with groups in nature so powerful.
“‘Nature receives everyone as they are,’” Birgit says. “‘There’s room for all our differences. Under the same starry sky, everyone is allowed to be themselves.’” Outdoors, much of the social pressure people experience indoors seems to fall away. When a facilitator creates a safe environment, sets clear agreements around confidentiality and encourages mutual respect, people often feel more comfortable opening up.
She also notices that a sense of equality develops much more naturally outdoors. Roles, status and expectations that can unconsciously shape interactions inside tend to become less important. Nature itself can help people relax. Being surrounded by natural sounds, light and space activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which supports rest and recovery. “‘Our system recognises, in a way, that we are part of nature ourselves,’” Birgit explains. From that sense of relaxation, she often sees more gentleness, tolerance, curiosity and openness emerge.
One experience that stayed with her was a collaboration with Wageningen University, where she guided several forest bathing sessions for a group of international students. They came from different countries, with different languages and backgrounds. Some shared their experiences at length, while others said only a few words. “‘That diversity made a deep impression on me,”’ Birgit says. During the final sharing circle, the students discovered just how differently they had experienced the same natural surroundings. By listening to one another, they gained new perspectives and sometimes recognised something of themselves in someone else’s story.
The qualities Birgit sees emerging most often are wonder, creativity, emotion, resilience, attention and authenticity. She believes these qualities become easier to access when people have first had the chance to relax. Her thinking is also informed by Attention Restoration Theory, developed by psychologists Stephen and Rachel Kaplan, which suggests that natural environments can help restore our capacity for directed attention, supporting concentration and mental recovery.
For Birgit, this feels particularly important at a time when loneliness, stress and mental health challenges are increasingly affecting young people. At the same time, our connection with the natural world is becoming more distant. The climate crisis and loss of biodiversity make that relationship even more important. “What you love, you take better care of,” she says. Giving young people positive experiences in nature can help build a sense of respect, connection and responsibility towards the world around them.
Her favourite format combines Shinrin Yoku, or forest bathing, with a Sharing Circle. The circle is deliberately simple: everyone is equal, everyone has the opportunity to speak and everyone gets the chance to be heard without judgement. “‘Everything is allowed to be there,’” Birgit says, including silence.
She believes that helping people become more aware of their relationship with nature may be one of the most important things we can do today, not only for our own health, but for the health of the planet as well. And that means showing young people all sides of nature. There is the challenging side, where you learn about survival and discover what you are capable of, but there is also the quieter side: beauty, wonder, creativity, connection and resilience. Both have something to teach us.
Find more about Birgits work here: