The
Wilding
Project

YOU ARE THE PROJECT

Movement | Nature | Connection

"Nature's playground in the heart of the city."


LATEST NEWS


ABOUT

The Wilding Project (TWP) was founded in 2016 by Damien Norris, BA, MA, JD, PhD (Candidate).The goal of TWP is to (re)wild and (re)connect people to nature through immersive encounters in nature. We use movement, ecological skills workshops, nature therapies andf practices to transform urban-life-pathways into nature-informed-pathways.The origin story of TWP begins in the woods of Canada that changed Damien's life forever. Watch Damien's TEDx to hear the tale.

CONTACT

Expect a response within 2-3 days. If it's the weekend we'll be in nature and those days don't count!

The goal of The Wilding Project is to (re)wild and (re)connect people to planet through immersive encounters with nature. To transform urban-life-pathways into nature-informed-pathways.

We achieve this goal in many ways:

  • Book a presentation, lecture, workshop or speaking event

  • Join a movement class (Adults | Children)

  • Attend or create a Nature Immersion experience

  • Explore barefoot training or shop Vivobarefoot Shoes

  • Experience Forest Bathing

  • Book a private, school, community or corporate class (Email direct)

  • Connect for research and collaborations (Email direct)

  • In a we have not thought of …

Thank You

Thank you for contacting The Wilding Project. Stay wild! We'll be in touch.

PRESENTATIONS

Nature, human movement, eco-philosophy, and all things that connect the human with nature through movement

BOOK A PRESENTATION

FOREST BATHING

""The best way to deal with stress at work is to go for a forest bath" — Qing Li

Guided Walks
Corporate Groups
Private Bookings

WILD LIVING

Movement In Nature Immersion

"The Wild Within"
SOLD OUT

10-13 July, Salt Spring Island, BC Canada

ADULT OUTDOOR MOVEMENT

The things we have made to keep us comfortable are making us weak.
- Scott Carney, 📚 What Doesn't Kill Us

GROUP CLASSES IN THE PARK

FOREST BATHING

Originating from Japan, Shinrin-yoku, or “forest bathing,” is recognised as a public health practice in Asia & Europe.

"Cognitive psychologist David Strayer’s hypothesis is that “being in nature allows the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s command centre, to dial down and rest, like an overused muscle.”"

Excerpt from: 'Nature calms the brain and heals the body', The David Suzuki Foundation

Description

Forest Therapy is gaining global acclaim as an evidence-based, cost-effective and natural remedy – a ‘green prescription’ for a healthier you.

The practice that involves spending time in nature to connect with the environment and reduce stress.

It's not a HIKE but a whole body, sensory immersion in the natural world.

Forest Guides

"The forest is the therapist. A guide connects the forest with the person."

Our guides are ANFT certified. They have spent 6-months training to qualify as an ANFT Nature and Forest Therapy guides to ensure the quality of your guided experience.

Guides:

  • Carefully select the location, path and journey

  • Follow ANFT's 'standard sequence' model

  • Guide participants through a process of dropping-in to nature time

  • Hold an immersive space for 2-3 hours

  • Craft invitations that deepen the immersive experience

  • Ensure participant safety and a welcoming environment

Options:

  • For yourself (Private Walks)

  • For the family or small group

  • For a function or corporate event

ADULT OUTDOOR MOVEMENT

Whole Body | Nature Connection | Social Fun

$$22.50 per session
WEEKEND AM & EVENING PM SESSIONS
Contact For Times & Locations

Description

'Fitness' is the side effect of our explorations in movement

Movement in these wintry days is truly glorious. Yes, it's tough to start—but once underway... oh my!The London Planes shed their leaves and we chase them. The air is so crisp it feels like you could snap it with your breath. When the sun breaks through, it's pure celebration.So here's the invitation: Come move with me this Winter."I can tell you from experience that winter workouts bring out your truest self. Difficult times don't create character—they reveal it. Winter workouts are powerful medicine for self-discovery and physical improvement."

WHAT TO EXPeCT

  • Functional Movement - movement that will serve you as you age and may save a limb or a life.

  • Modalities - Animal Flow, Wild Parcours, Barefoot Running, La Méthode Naturelle.

  • Play! Invention. The unexpected – outdoor movement welcomes exploration and creativity

  • Skill Progression – crawl, roll climb, balance, jump, run and more.

  • Rewilding Theory – explore research on eco-philosophy, kinesthetics, and evolutionary biology.

  • Take-Home Practices – audit your ecosystem and create a nourishing, movement+ve lifestyle

WEEKLY - Contact Wild Living directly to discover times and locations

PRESENTATIONS & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Motivational | Engaging | Movement | Nature Connection

BOOK & SPEAKING ENGAGEMENT

Looking for inspiration, motivation and MOVEMENT? Damien is an engaging and humble presenter and academic who appears regularly in tertiary and community settings, sharing the human-nature connection story with humor and with MOVEMENT.

  • Explore the practice of Forest Bathing and give it a try!

  • Discover the story of parkour and experience some "gentle parkour."

  • What does it mean to move naturally? And can you do it too?

  • From elite gymnast to rewilding practitioner—find your own inspiration in Damien's story of rewilding himself!

  • All sessions are tailored to meet the needs of your community and the moment.

VIVOBAREFOOT

Shoes made for movement. Shoes made to feel.

Barefoot training
Shoe Fittings
Product Discounts

VIVO-BAREFOOT

Connect with EARTH from the GROUND up.

BAREFOOT SERVICES

  • Vivobarefoot shoe advice, fittings and sales

  • Barefoot life acclimatisation: barefoot running instruction, foot rehabilitation and barefoot preparedness.

BAREFOOT benefits

The benefits of including barefoot practices into your lifestyle are extensive; from improvements in balance, proprioception, and body awareness to cognitive health. PLUS, it connects you with the EARTH.

BUT, transitioning from a SHOD life to a barefoot one is a process. We're here to help.


barefoot science

Our findings suggest that barefoot walking can be a particularly effective form of aerobic exercise for improving cognitive function and brain health in adolescents.

Barefoot walking can activate the enteric nervous system, increase brain blood flow, and stimulate the toes to activate nerve cells in the sensory cortex, thalamus, and cerebellum, leading to improved overall cognitive ability.

Furthermore, barefoot walking stimulates the toes more than walking in sneakers, thereby enhancing lower skeletal muscle strength. These mechanisms can facilitate increased blood flow to the brain.

[A] reduction in mental fatigue and brain stress observed in the barefoot group suggests that this form of exercise may be particularly useful for individuals who experience high levels of stress or mental fatigue.

Excerpt from: 'Barefoot walking improves cognitive ability in adolescents'

documentary

Shoespiracy, was made with the some of the biggest brains connected to feet and barefoot science today, including professors, doctors, bio-mechanists, movement experts, opinion formers and cobblers.

A taste of the range

When you can't liberate your toes, there is a VIVO that has you (un)covered: dress, active, hike, gym and more. Go barefoot in style.

We help you choose a shoe, and guide you into a barefoot world.

ECOLOGICAL SKILLS & WILD PARCOURS

To learn a traditional skill is to commune with the ancients.

Children & Adults
Friction Fire
shelter Building
Cordage and more

ECOLOGICAL SKILLS

& WILD PARCOURS

Light the BBQ using dfriction fire!

Fire Workshop & Home

Gather the family around the hearth, invite your community, bring your friends and learn the story of our connection with FIRE and how to make it using friction methods.

DID YOU KNOW: We are the only species that makes fire but we are not the only species to use it.

  • Craft a friction fire kit

  • Learn the human story of fire

  • Light the BBQ in a unique way!

  • Share stories around the hearth

Courses, Workshops and Seminars Made to suit

The Wilding Project adds depth, meaning and significance to its ecological and ancestral skills sessions by introducing topics with ritual, ceremony and somatic practices. Sessions are interactive, informative and experiential.Learn to welcome ancient fire, create bush shelters, make cordage from natural fibers, whittle, weave and craft.

You will also be invited to move and feel the connection between body, land and the kinaesthetic history behind the movements necessary to practice ecological and ancestral skills.

CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT & NATURE CONNECTION

Of all the world's creatures, perhaps those in the greatest need of rewilding are our children. The collapse of children's engagement with nature has been even faster than the collapse of the natural world. - George Monboit, 'Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea and Human Life'

- George Monboit, 'Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea and Human Life'

School Visits
Group & Private Sessions
Home School Groups
Parties & Special Events

CHILDREN'S MOVEMENT & NATURE CONNECTION

Wild parcours | Outdoor Movement | Nature Connection

Teaching parcours is how The Wilding Project began in 2016. Since then over 8000 students have experienced our programs. We are affiliated & insured under a national body & deliver high quality parcours & nature connection programs in many formats: Schools, Weekly Classes, Private and Group sessions.

WILD PARCOURS & NATURE PLAY

The goal is to connection children through movement, exploration, play and craft, with nature.

  • Learn parcours skills that build confidence navigating the natural world +

  • Explore and learn about the local flora and fauna and build a relationship with nature =

  • Fall in love with nature and learn to live in ways that respect and care for it.

ParcoursNature Play
Students develop the physical & perceptual awareness to thrive in the environments they live in. Through the practice of parcours they learn the skills to safely land, roll, balance, crawl, run, leap, vault, help each other, climb & much more. All outdoors.Students connect & engage with the natural world. They will learn about plant species, weather patterns, land history, seasonal changes, tracking & tracing, birds song, bugs & so much more.

"We use the obstacles we find to connect with nature and develop the physical and emotional resilience to thrive."

- Damien Norris'*