Sensory walks - Forest bath in Porquerolles

Varoise Christine Bourru confides that she has a special bond with Cap Lardier, as her grandfather was involved in a collective in the 60s against a marina project. And they succeeded in keeping it a protected area. She spent all my childhood and teenage vacations in Gigaro. After graduating from Sciences Po Lyon, she left to travel for two years and then took up a postgraduate diploma (DESS) in European tourism management, which took her to England, Germany and Holland. " I then had a long career (25 years) in the creation and organization of responsible and solidarity-based trips for a tour operator in Lyon ". Christine lives between Lyon and Bormes-les-Mimosas, where she settled in 2002.

In 2017, I decided to create my own slow tourism travel offer¹ around well-being, nature and encounters to give people the chance to feel the spirit of the place. The Covid parenthesis forced me to pause and rethink my future. I live in the middle of nature, and this quiet time has allowed me to recharge my batteries and rediscover the pleasure of wonder.

That's how she came to want to help people travel differently, " by inviting them to reawaken their senses. That's what I propose with my forest baths. In 2020, in the forest of Rambouillet, she trained as a forest bath guide with Laurence Monce, " a reference in this field ". "Iappreciate it immediately, but I'm taking the time to make it my own.

Today, for each immersion she chooses themes and offers micro-experiences: land art, writing, drawing... and always also offers a little sound interlude around intuitive musical instruments (Tibetan bowls, kigonki...) that transport people into beautiful sounds allowing them to let go of their minds.

The Esprit national park approach?

What interested me was raising environmental awareness. I don't make speeches, but when people marvel at what they see, at nature, at the beauty of living things, that's already a first step towards protection. All I'm proposing is to show the interdependence that unites us with nature, for our well-being and that of the planet, because we are an integral part of the living world.

Joining this network is a way of showing my commitment to this eco-responsible approach. What's more, my activity ticks all the boxes: we take our time, we don't make noise, we observe, we feel, we marvel, we leave no trace behind us... My aim is also to guide people inwards. To show that behind the beach and the coastline, there's a lot to discover, and that nature can be experienced in other ways than through sporty or naturalistic hikes. It's a sensory approach that's in no way "perched".

Joining the Esprit parc nationalbrand network puts me in contact with others, and gives me the opportunity to exchange and share ideas. Today, I feel part of the National Park, which gives me the legitimacy to talk about the uniqueness of the territory. They trust me, they give me a role to play, so I pass it on.... We're ambassadors.

1. A sustainable tourism choice that favors reduced mobility, and a slow pace to discover the places, the people, their history, their culture, while taking care not to impact the environment.