Northern Virginia & DC Nature Therapy, Forest Bathing, Retreats, & Ecological Design
Replenish inner radiance, resilience, and belonging with nature and community through empowering and restorative experiences.
With Ilana Rubin, a warm and experienced Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide, in Northern Virginia and the greater Washington, DC region or remotely-guided wherever you and nature meet.
Upcoming Events
New event for ages 50+!
Wednesday, 2/4, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Winter Warming: Herbal Tea & Nature Connection, Arbor Row Center (Tysons, VA).Join Ilana Rubin, Certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide, to enjoy an herbal tea tasting, guided reflection & nature-based practices designed to support mood, resilience, and community during the colder months.
More Events Coming Soon!
Sign up for emails to find out when new programs open for registration!
In Their Own Words - Testimonials
If you were to recommend this Kindred Nature experience, what would you say?“It’s one of the best things you can do for your mental and physical health!”“This is a MUST DO EVENT for those seeking a moment to balance, reconnect, and let go of the worries of the world.”“A comfortable escape into nature, where mindfulness and gratitude could bloom.” – Kait“Forest bathing is much more recharging than an ordinary walk in the woods, as the invitations encourage you to really engage the setting in a measured way, and be mindful of specific things around you.”“Your forest-bathing experience with Ilana will be unique and inspiring, thanks to her calmness and focus and vast nature knowledge. Enjoy your Mindful Nature Journey!” – Bob Root“Such a great way to start the weekend, disconnect from work/technology, and find peace & calm in nature.”“Ilana’s quiet assuredness elevates your knowledge of nature, history, and natural health while leading you on an uplifting and restorative spiritual practice.” – Laura Vaughan“Prepare to slow down, breathe and sink into the wonders of the forest with all your senses. Led by Ilana: a calm, sensitive, wise, knowledgeable, caring soul you will see nature with an expansive awe and wonder by the end. I highly recommend this experience!”“That the time spent here is time well spent. That in fact the time was meant to be spent like this.” – Doug Robinson
Nature Therapy, Forest Bathing, Wellness Retreats, & More
These nature connection experiences are empowering and restorative science-backed wellness practices. Join upcoming events or book your private session, series, or retreat to replenish inner radiance, resilience, and belonging through embodied mindfulness with nature and community!
Available services include:
Nature Therapy (Forest Bathing): Release stress and relax through a guided restorative mindful and bodyful experience with nature. Enjoy benefits such as restored focus, improved mood, boosted creativity, and lower stress.
Mindful Nature Walk and Learns: Embark on an empowering learning journey blended with mindfulness practices, with a warm, knowledgeable guide. Choose from topics such as identifying trees in all seasons, reading the landscape, understanding fungi, foraging with reciprocity, and more.
Nature Connection Consultations: Nurture your goals and replenish inner radiance through an interactive discussion and exploration of nature-based approaches to ease stress, support change, honor loss, celebrate joy, and reconnect with yourself, nature, and community.
Custom Gift Experiences: Celebrate or support a loved one or yourself with a restorative one-of-a-kind custom nature connection experience for a birthday, anniversary, self-care day, graduation, retirement, transition, parenthood milestone, just because, or another occasion.
And More: Wellness retreats with multiple practices (ex. with co-facilitators for yoga, sound meditation, story weaving, contemplative journaling, and forest bathing), employee wellness series, nature-inspired meeting facilitation, and more are also available.
Available for:
Individuals and pairs, as private sessions.
Private groups, such as companies, families, friend groups, and more.
Parks, farms, gardens, and other venues, as private or public programs.
In person experiences, in the greater Washington, DC metro area (Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland) or beyond upon request.
Remotely-guided experiences, by video or phone call worldwide.
Ecological Design Services
Garden design consultations to support thriving people & wildlife!
Services include:
Providing a site consultation, the starting point for new design clients, with in-person and remote options. Together, we'll discuss your goals, tour and observe site conditions, and brainstorm initial conceptual design ideas.
Analyzing and assessing site conditions, including weather and climate, sun exposure, water and runoff, soil, and ecoregion.
Crafting an energizing vision and goals statement for your site with multi-stakeholder input.
Generating a recommended plants list tailored to your goals and your site's conditions, challenges, and opportunities.
Creating garden design ideas and plans for your site and goals, such as to nurture wellness, provide fresh food, support native wildlife, attract pollinators, reduce erosion, create a nature playscape for kids, or cultivate a relaxing multi-sensory garden.
About Ilana
Hi there! I'm Ilana Z Rubin (she/her/hers), the founder of Kindred Nature! I am a certified nature therapy & forest bathing guide, as well as a facilitator, environmental educator, naturalist, forager, and regenerative ecological design (permaculture) enthusiast. Based in Northern Virginia on Piscataway land, I guide, facilitate, teach, and design to support people in remembering ourselves as nature.In remembering together how we, too, are nature, we can empower ourselves with more resilient mental and physical wellbeing, cultivate belonging instead of disconnection, and co-create a more radiant, thriving world of belonging, reciprocity, and interbeing.I know there are individual and systemic barriers to safe and inclusive nature connection for many, and I'm here to support you on your journey in the ways that are nourishing and restorative for you.You are welcome to connect with me, with Kindred Nature. All ages, sexes, genders, races, religions, national origins, family roles, and other identities you may hold are welcome. Whatever your life experiences have been so far, and however your brain, body, heart, and whole self are - you are welcome.Growing up exploring the rivers, ponds, and mountains of the Adirondacks fostered my early love and kinship with nature, and I am always on the journey of deepening that relationship. Wanders, adventures, dancing, playing music, cozy moments, neurodiversity, cultivating communities-of-the-moment, and finding ways to hold space for both the wonders and the wounds of life are some of what fuels me.My ways of being and my offerings through Kindred Nature are also shaped by my breadth and depth of other experiences, including: environmental nonprofits, federal water policy, coalition management and leadership, disability services, team leadership, program development, job coaching, education, human resources, anthropology, spirituality, and personal loss and resilience.If you're curious about official credentials, mine include: a Nature & Forest Therapy Guide Certification from the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Guides & Programs, a Permaculture Design Teaching Apprenticeship Certificate from Shenandoah Permaculture Institute and the University of Richmond, two Permaculture Design Certificates, a Master of Public Administration degree in Environmental Science & Policy from Columbia University, a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Human Services Management from Suffolk University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from SUNY Plattsburgh.I'd love to hear from you, so please feel welcome to connect with me.
