Nature as Medicine Patient Resources

Extensive research has shown that being in nature for as little as 20 minutes per day can reduce anxiety, lower blood pressure, strengthen the immune system, and improve self-esteem and mood.

Getting Started (What You Will Find on this Page)

• Watch the Nature Rx Welcome Video with Barbara Walker, PhD, Director, Nature as Medicine Program
• Complete Your Personalized Nature Prescription
• Subscribe to our monthly Nature as Medicine Newsletter
• Join us at an upcoming Nature as Medicine Event
• Keep scrolling for more Nature as Medicine tips and resources

Complete Your Personalized Nature Prescription

A copy will be sent to you via email, and if you choose, you will receive a follow-up from a member of the Nature as Medicine Team.

Nature as Medicine Events, Classes, and Opportunities (No-Cost)

• Nature as Medicine Walking Group Meetup: Weekly on Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m. beginning March 3, .2026, join us for a restorative midday walk departing from the lobby of the UC Blood Cancer Healing Center! This accessible walk on a paved path blends movement, fresh air, and meaningful connection.
• Well-being Walks & Forest Bathing in Burnet Woods in Partnership with the Clifton Library: Weekly on Mondays from 12:15-12:45 p.m. a walking club will leave from the Clifton Library and walk through Burnet Woods. The first Monday of each month, experts from the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Cincinnati will lead a special Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) experience during the walk.

• Nature as Medicine Monthly Meetup: The first Monday of each month from 1-1:30 p.m. Barbara Walker, PhD, Director of the Nature as Medicine Program at the Clifton Library will guide patients in writing their nature prescriptions and discuss upcoming opportunities.

• Parks & Rec for Wellness Classes & Hiking Series: From yoga, roller skating, dancing and more, Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Wellness is thrilled to offer a series of outdoor classes designed to help you move your body, boost your mood, and connect with your community, in addition to free hiking groups at parks across Cincinnati All are welcome—just show up and feel better in our parks!
• Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Winter Hiking Series: join us outdoors for a refreshing hike the third Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. from May through October led by the Osher Center Nature as Medicine team. View the full schedule on the Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Wellness webpage.
  • May 16, 2026 – Ault Park (Meet at the Fountain at the Pavilion)
  • June 20, 2026 - Mt. Airy Forest (meet at Everybody's Treehouse)
  • July 18, 2026 – Ault Park (Meet at the Fountain at the Pavilion)
  • August 15, 2026 - Mt. Airy Forest (meet at Everybody's Treehouse)
  • September 19, 2026 – Ault Park (Meet at the Fountain at the Pavilion)
  • October 17, 2026 - Mt. Airy Forest (meet at Everybody's Treehouse)
• Community Yoga at Burnet Woods: Every Saturday from 11–11:45 am, all levels are welcome! Burnet Woods yoga is year-round, May 1-Oct 14 at the bandstand and Oct 15 – April 30 at Trailside Nature Center.
• Community Tai Chi at Owl's Nest Park: Join us on the Third Wednesday of each month at Noon for a mindful movement tai chi session with Jennifer Woods, Certified Tai Chi Instructor with the Osher Center.
  •  June 17, 2026
  • July 15, 2026
  • August 19, 2026
  • September 16, 2026

• Bird Nerds: Includes events such as mindful bird watching, and more!

Join our Online Movement Community via Strava!

Our Nature as Medicine Strava club is about community, not competition - a place to support and inspire one another in our movement journeys, a place to:

• Log walks, runs, and outdoor movement at your own pace and in ways that feel good to you
• Join challenges and community goals
• Discover events and group activities
• Celebrate progress—big or small
• Feel supported and connected, even when moving solo
• Find encouragement and motivation
• Stay connected—even when it’s cold, busy, or hard to start
• Be part of a shared goal for healthier lives in Cincinnati

Click here for our Nature as Medicine Strava Guide to help you create your account and join the community.

Plus, receive an exclusive Flying Pig discount when you join the Nature as Medicine Strava Club!

We are excited to partner with the Flying Pig this spring to offer an exclusive 15% discount on registration for any of the Flying Pig Weekend events. Join the club to access the discount!

Nature as Medicine Resources

Tips for Incorporating Nature Into Your Routine

1. Schedule regular "nature breaks" throughout your day, even for 10 minutes at a time.
2. Bring greenery or images of natural spaces into your home and office, both of which have been shown to lower stress according to studies.
3. Try “green exercise” - moving your workout outdoors provides benefits. A recent study found that a short, leafy stroll improves working memory and concentration substantially more than completing the same brief walk inside.
4. Turn a regular meeting into a walking meeting outdoors.
5. Eat a meal outside in nature (turn any meal into a fun picnic).
6. Try a no-cost Cincinnati Parks Foundation wellness program such as yoga, forest bathing or meditation.

Read more: UC News: The Healing Power of Nature

Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Wellness

Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Wellness

Through a new Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Wellness collaboration, the Osher Center, the Cincinnati Parks Foundation, the Cincinnati Parks, and the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, are on a mission to provide Cincinnatians with opportunities to harness the healing power of nature by providing innovative, evidence-based care and a deeper connection to our local natural world and the communities in which we live and work. The collaboration will provide health and wellness education as well as movement and mindfulness therapies in the parks, providing opportunities for social connection, and healing.

Video Resources

View our Mindfulness in Nature Video Series.

Nature & Lifestyle Medicine

Nature & Lifestyle Medicine

There are 6 Official Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine, and now mounting evidence supports Nature As Medicine as The 7th (Unofficial) Pillar of Lifestyle Medicine.

The Osher Center offers lifestyle medicine consultations, covered by insurance like any other visit with your provider, you will initially meet with your physician or nurse practitioner for one hour. They will learn about your personal, medical and family history; your dietary, exercise and sleep habits; your sources of stress and coping mechanisms, and then will assess your health concerns and evaluate your symptoms, order any necessary tests and create mutually agreed upon lifestyle prescriptions.

Our goal is to work with you to create a personalized self-care plan that you can implement and sustain with your lifestyle. To schedule a consultation, call 513-475-9567.

Cincinnati Nature as Medicine Map

Community Resources

• Civic Garden Center
• Cincinnati Parks & Rec for Wellness
• Cincinnati Parks Foundation
• Cincinnati Public Library Bird Nerds
• Cincinnati Nature Center
• Park RX America
• Urban Hikers
• UC Field Center

Nature as Medicine Online Community

Join our Online Movement Community via Strava!

Nature as Medicine Strava club is about community, not competition - a place to support and inspire one another in our movement journeys, a place to:

• Log walks, runs, and outdoor movement at your own pace and in ways that feel good to you
• Join challenges and community goals
• Discover events and group activities
• Celebrate progress—big or small
• Feel supported and connected, even when moving solo
• Find encouragement and motivation
• Stay connected—even when it’s cold, busy, or hard to start
• Be part of a shared goal for healthier lives in Cincinnati

Click here for our Nature as Medicine Strava Guide to help you create your account and join the community.

Plus, receive an exclusive Flying Pig discount when you join the Nature as Medicine Strava Club!

We are excited to partner with the Flying Pig this spring to offer an exclusive 15% discount on registration for any of the Flying Pig Weekend events. Join the club to access the discount!

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