Ana’s smile lights up the room, reaching her course mates, even though they are miles apart. FTHub Forest Therapy Practitioner Ana Hribar is a passionate advocate for access to nature as a basic human right. Originally from Slovenia, she grew up near Ljubljana, where a special tree in a park sparked her early connection with nature. Her path led her through cultural studies and sociology, furniture restoration, and graphic design, before exploring her love for nature through mindful photography and forest therapy, which she now offers in Slovenia.
She is also part of a study group focused on creating a memory path for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. Currently pursuing a PhD in Social Gerontology, Ana is researching the impact of nature on older adults. She emphasizes the importance of shifting from the mind to the senses and bringing nature to those unable to access it. Ana’s work highlights the powerful link between nature, creativity, and well-being.
“I’m from Slovenia. I grew up really close to the city center of Ljubljana. I didn’t grow up on a farm, and we didn’t have a big backyard, but I grew up near a park where my school was. This park had an amazing tree that still exists. It had a hole that was there for the brave ones to enter. Even now, when I go back to that park, I always visit that tree. It makes me remember how safe I felt. But, on the other hand, it was dark and moist, with the smells and everything. That tree is one of my earliest memories of being connected to nature in a different way.
“It was a special connection, it kind of symbolized me growing with it. Later in life, I didn’t notice it as much, but nature was always a part of me. I was a digital artist and painted animals, trees. I worked with my hands, restoring furniture, especially wood. My grandfather was a carpenter, and there was always the smell of wood, of nature”.
“Now I understand that maybe my whole life has been preparing me for my passion, for my journey now. I could have gone in another direction and not realized that nature was such an important part of my life.”
The Art path
“I was studying cultural studies and sociology. For my thesis, I wrote an interesting research on the everyday life of farm women in a specific area in Slovenia. Later on, I volunteered for the FAO (United Nations of Agriculture) in Rome. I lived there and worked for a farm association of women in Slovenia. But then I decided to change my path and returned to Rome, where I studied painting on wood, art related to furniture. And I opened my own workshop where I restored and recycled furniture and created objects from wood. Creativity was always with me, so I filled that space with video and nature photography. I’ve been doing nature photography for many years now.
“In combination with Forest Therapy, the knowledge I gained at Forest Therapy Hub, I developed my own method of mindful photography in nature, which I also teach in Slovenia. It works. Many people who come for mindful photography sessions also join Forest Therapy sessions because they understand the power of connecting to nature in different ways.”
Mindful photography
“When I started studying at Forest Therapy Hub, I realized that when I went to the forest, my cell phone would bother me. But on the other hand, I really liked photography, so I developed my own method. Taking a photo is the last step, and it’s not on my mind as much. I could even skip it. In one hour, I might take just one photo, and it’s much better than taking twenty photos before, because I’m doing it in a much more mindful way.
“The first part of the session is more about discovering nature and connecting to it, and only in the last part do we focus on taking photos”.
“It’s really interesting to see people’s reactions when I tell them to put their cell phones in their pockets. They often say, ‘But this is a photography session!’ But it’s not about photography. The photo is just the last piece of the story”.
“Now, I’m preparing mindful photography sessions for elderly people as well, so the combination of technology and mindfulness can become something powerful in nature.”
The elderly
“As soon as I started studying at Forest Therapy Hub, I had an idea but didn’t know which group I would be working with, and I thought about my grandmother. When she was in the later stages of her life, we took away the nature connection. I thought, ‘Oh my god, I would have done things differently.’ That’s when I knew I wanted to focus on elderly people. Actually, those six sessions changed my life. It’s different when you’re preparing forest therapy for another group, like mothers with infants, which was also a very special group for me. But working with elderly people really changed me”
“I said to myself that I really needed to combine research and forest therapy for elderly people. Now I’m a PhD student in Social Gerontology, and I really enjoy the process”.
“I think access to nature should be considered a basic human right—not just access to nature, but the ability to access it. If someone has a disability and cannot access nature, we should bring nature to them. This should be the most important human right: access to nature, not just nature itself.”
From the mind to the senses
“I’m always saying it’s important to shift from the mind to the senses. I learned that. As a person living in the city, it’s difficult because we’re constantly in our heads, cutting out our senses. But in nature, it’s the opposite. You open your senses, and it calms you down. I think this is something that changed my life.”
“If you can’t go into nature, bring nature to you. If your grandmother or grandfather can’t go outside, open the window. Bring leaves, bring the forest in. Just holding a leaf and listening to the sound of it can be powerful. Not everyone has access to nature, but you can bring it into your home, your living room, your bathroom.”
“When I started with the Forest Bathing and Forest Therapy process, I realized early on I was not as connected to nature as I thought I was. I was always looking for the right photo or trying to name the herbs I picked. I realized that when you’re picking herbs, of course, you have to focus, but there’s another part of being in nature that isn’t connected with your thoughts but with your senses—the way you feel. That was the first time I thought, ‘Oh my god, maybe I’m not as connected as I thought. I need to slow down.'”
Ph: Courtesy Ana Hribar
