From August 9th to 11th, 2025, the 2nd International Conference on Forest Therapy was grandly held at the Forest College of the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. This conference attracted over 100 experts and scholars from around the world, healthcare professionals, policy makers, natural healing practitioners, and leaders of indigenous communities. They engaged in in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics such as scientific research on forest therapy, integration of public health, policy implementation, and emerging technologies.
Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, the president of UBC, pointed out that with the intensification of global urbanization and the increasing prominence of mental health issues, forest therapy, as a non-prescription, low-barrier, and easily accessible natural healing method, has great social potential. He hopes that through forest therapy, we can reconnect with the natural world, reconnect with our spirits, and reconnect with others. UBC will continue to support such interdisciplinary collaborations and make academic contributions to global sustainable and healthy development.
Professor Wang Guangyu, the vice dean of the Faculty of Forestry at UBC and the director of MINT (Multidisciplinary Institute for Natural Healing), advocates that everyone should set aside 20 minutes or 2 hours each day to go to the forest for self-healing. By enjoying the benefits that the forest brings us, the effect of such self-healing is very obvious. Research data also shows that a short period of forest experience can significantly improve concentration, memory, reduce stress and anxiety levels.
One of the highlights of this conference was the keynote speech by Dr. Hong YANG, who represented the International Tao Culture Association. Her speech was titled "Tao - The Ancient Wisdom of Natural Healing". Dr. Yang graduated from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine with a degree in the history and literature of traditional Chinese medicine. Currently, she teaches at Alhambra Medical University (a university specializing in traditional Chinese medicine) in Los Angeles, USA. She is also the founder of the Tai Chi Zen Institute and a senior instructor for international medical health Tai Chi training and qualification certification. Dr. Yang inherited martial arts from her family and has won multiple international championships in Tai Chi and Tai Chi Sword. She has been dedicated to researching the intrinsic deep relationship between Tai Chi and traditional Chinese medicine culture for many years. She believes that Tai Chi inherits the breathing and relaxation techniques and gentle movements described in "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic", and both have the same therapeutic effect of preventing diseases before they occur. She calls for the inheritance and dissemination of Tai Chi to be carried out within the framework of traditional Chinese medicine, so as to better contribute to global health. She advocates that Tai Chi should be part of traditional Chinese culture. The uniqueness of Tai Chi lies in its way and wisdom of achieving self-healing and physical and mental cultivation through natural means without relying on others or external things, which is a preventive treatment method and wisdom that can activate the self-healing mechanism within the body. When the body and mind reach a special balance of yin and yang, the self-healing mechanism within the body can be activated, which precisely corresponds to the ancient concepts of "following the natural way" and "harmony between heaven and man" in the East.
The West relies on data and scientific research to drive its practices, while the East provides guidance through philosophy and the integration of body and mind. It is hoped that the collision of Eastern and Western cultures will truly achieve a profound reconnection between "humans and nature".
----- International Tao Culture Federation
2025.8.18
