Exercising in the healing forest

The exercises are particularly recommended for diseases of the respiratory system, the skin, the musculoskeletal system, to strengthen the cardiovascular system and in patients with psychosomatic diseases.

We recommend that persons with limited mobility or restricted heart performance should be accompanied. Note the indicated degrees of difficulty.

Meditative movement therapy in the play of light and shadow
The beech (Fagus sylvatica) is the most common tree species in German forests. It provides shadow, humidifies the air and generally improves the climate.
Beech leaves contain many tannins, natural oils and iron and have germicidal and cooling properties. The leaves, like the sunflower, always turn towards the sun. The beech promotes health and strength, since it produces a lot of oxygen and keeps the forest air relatively free of dust.

Health maintenance, prevention and rehabilitation
Information boards show how to the use the exercise equipment properly with different variants as well as the training effects. The exercises serve to build muscle, help prevent falls, to train coordination, balance and concentration and to enhance perception.

Stations

• motorically active sitting
• balance beam
• balance board on springs
• one hundred steps
• tree trunk hopping course
• sensory perception path
• boulder obstacle course
• climbing circuit
• fourfold high bar
• meditative movement therapy

We present the stations below.

Advice
Warm-up: before exercises with, for example, shoulder and arm circles (forward/backward/opposite), diagonal stretching, forward bends, gentle stretching exercises.
End of exercise: gentle breathing and relaxation exercises, e.g. against trees.

Be careful in wet or icy conditions! Wear sturdy footwear.

Exercise: Sit carefully on the seat and find your balance. It’s not at all as easy as it sounds.

Training effect

• training of balance and coordination
• strengthening of the back and stomach musculature
• training of the pelvis musculature

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders
Psychosomatic illnesses

Difficulty
Easy

Exercise: Walk along the beam with alternating, precise setting down of the left and right foot. In a second Stage, you can also strength the left and right leg musculature by crouching.

Training effect

• improvement of balancing and control skills
• eye/leg coordination
• controlled movement sequences
• training of the general concentration
• improvement of body posture

Variants

• hold your arms against your hips and cover the course without the balancing effect of extended arms
• combine with coordinative tasks e.g. walk backwards or balance a book on your head
• partner exercises, e.g. hold hands and walk together as a "human snake" over the curved balancing beam

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders
Psychosomatic illnesses

Difficulty
Medium

Exercise: Walking on the balancing board, alternating controlled setting down of the right and left foot. Maintaining balance by body tension and posture

Training effect

• improvement of balancing and control skills
• eye/leg coordination
• controlled movement sequences
• training of the arm and stomach musculature
• conscious adoption of optimum body posture

Variants

• hold your arms against your hips and cover the course without the balancing effect of extended arms
• combine with additional coordinative tasks e.g. Walk backwards or balance a book on your head
• partner exercises, e.g. hold hands and walk as a “human snake” over the balancing board

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders
Psychosomatic illnesses

Difficulty
Medium

Exercise: This installation can only be used from one end. You cover the course by positioning the right and left feet in the appropriate shoe size (between 36-46) without touching the wooden surfaces. A foot position that is the reverse of the normal is desired.

Training effect

• training of balance and coordination
• breaking away from "entrenched movement patterns"
• prevention of falls
• harmonious interplay of muscles/muscle groups

Variants

• hold your arms against your hips and cover the course without the balancing effect of extended arms
• combine with coordinative tasks e.g. go backwards or balance a book on your head

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders
Psychosomatic illnesses

Difficulty
Easy

Exercise: This installation can be used from both ends. Balance upright from trunk to trunk by alternately setting down your left and right foot in a controlled, precise way.

Training effect

• improvement of balancing and control skills
• breaking away from "entrenched movement patterns"
• coordination and strengthening of the stabilising musculature (especially the ankle and knee)
• check the pulse during training (heart function)
• recommendation: After each training unit, do loosening and relaxation exercises

Variants

• hold your arms against your hips and cover the course without the balancing effect of extended arms
• partner exercises, e.g. hold hands and walk together over the tree trunks

Medical indication groups
Respiratory tract disorders
Cardiovascular disease

Difficulty
Medium

Exercise: Precision handrail: The wooden ring should be prevented from touching the curved handrail if possible! This task requires a very good spatial orientation and the highest degrees of concentration and precision.

Sensory perception: The course should be covered barefoot. Perception with the feet of the various trail surfaces. Also suitable for wheelchair users.

Training effects of precision handrail

• improved coordination
• eye/hand coordination
• strengthening of the trunk, shoulder and arm muscles

Training effects of sensory perception trail

• sensitisation of the soles of feet
• promotion of blood circulation in foot sole area
• promotion of arterial circulation
• strengthening of the trunk, shoulder and arm muscles

Variants for precision handrail

• racing against the clock or avoiding mistakes, with one or two rings

Variants for sensory perception trail

• combine with coordinative tasks e.g. walk backwards or balance a book on your head
• carefully walk with closed eyes over the different surfaces and guess what surface you can feel underfoot
• adjust pace, direction and route depending on difficulty

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders
Psychosomatic illnesses

Difficulty
Medium

Exercise: Negotiate the course from boulder to boulder as quickly and with as few errors as possible.

Training effect

• coordination/balance (controlled movement)
• improvement of balancing and control skills
• coordination and strengthening of the stabilising musculature (especially the ankle and knee)
• training for fall prevention
• training of the foot arch

Variants

• alternating controlled precise placement of the left and right foot on the boulders
• hold your arms against your hips and get across the boulders without the balancing effect of extended arms
• negotiate the course sideways
• partner exercises, e.g. hold hands and walk together over the boulders
• try to stand on one leg
• do the course barefoot

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders

Difficulty
Medium

Exercise: The installation can be used from both sides – climbing the individual sections or the entire route.

Training effect

• improvement of arm and leg coordination
• strengthening of the musculature of the upper and lower extremities
• improvement of sense of balance
• coordination training

Variants

• graduation by speed and precision
• personal benchmarking / group competition
• team training

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders
Cardiovascular disease

Difficulty
Difficult

Exercise: This installation can be used from both sides – hanging and swinging exercises on the high bar.
Advice: Do warm-up exercises first (gentle hopping, easy stretching exercises).

Training effect

• improvement of the total body strength or body tone and the gymnastic skill

Variants

• jumping against the bar with locked arms
• hanging from the bar with bent arms and legs (5-15 secs)
• hanging from bar – knee to breast (5-15 secs)
• back swing out of locked arms position
• hip pullover
• back hip circle
• forward hip circle
• swinging when hanging from knees

Medical indication groups
Orthopaedic disorders
Cardiovascular disease

Difficulty
Difficult

Exercise: Take the appropriate position (sitting, lying down), isometric exercises: Alternating tension/relaxation, breathing training and conscious perception of nature (play of light, tree movement, sounds)

Training effect

• training of perceptory functions
• relaxation until resting pulse is reached

Variants

• take the appropriate position (sitting, lying down)
• isometric exercises: alternating tension / relaxation
• breathing training
• conscious perception of nature (play of light, tree movement, sounds)

Medical indication groups
Respiratory tract disorders
Psychosomatic illnesses

Difficulty
Easy