In October, Forest Therapy Hub will hold a nature immersion at One Health Polska in Kowanówko, western Poland. The center, set within a forested, five-hectare landscape shaped by years of ecological restoration, embodies the One Health approach that brings together human health, ecosystem health, and scientific practice.
This is the very place Monika Bartkowiak speaks about in the conversation that follows. As President of One Health Polska, garden designer, and FTHub Forest Therapy Practitioner, Monika has been directly involved in the transformation of this land into a living space for therapy, research, and care rooted in direct contact with nature. In her own words, she reflects on how nature has shaped her life, her work, and the vision behind One Health, offering a grounded perspective on nature-based interventions.
From Childhood Landscape to Professional Practice
“Now that I am an adult, I see it differently. When I was younger, I didn’t really think about the village, the trees, or the view. I didn’t think about it at all. Only now I see this side. I have my own company, I am a garden designer, and I create green landscapes for companies and for gardens near people’s homes. Through this work, I really started to see what nature can do for garden owners and for people.”
“When I take care of a garden, I see the plants, and I tell people: go into the garden, look at these plants, be in this place. You can grow vegetables, you can observe changes. I have had this company for ten years, and I truly see how people change. This was one very important moment for me.”
“When I was pregnant, I worked outside with my husband almost all the time, because we have this company together. I worked until the eighth month of my pregnancy. But at the end, I had to stay at home, and it was terrible for me. I was outside every day, and suddenly I had to stay inside.”
“It was very difficult. I had strong headaches, my skin changed, and after about one month inside, it really felt like I had lost something. When you lose being outside all day, you feel different. These two moments -my work with gardens and my pregnancy-made me understand how rich life is when I am close to nature.”
Discovering Forest Therapy Hub
“My story with Forest Therapy Hub was very fast. It was winter, and I heard about forest bathing. I read Dr. Qing Li’s book and said: I want to be a Forest Bathing Guide. But I didn’t know where to go or how to start.”
“I started searching where I could take a course and that’s when I found Forest Therapy Hub. It was a very good moment for me, because it allowed me to be even more with nature.”
“Now I know better how I can help people and how I can really see them. Many people stay in offices all day and don’t know what fresh air really is. They don’t see this basic interconnection.”
One Health: From Collaboration to Living Place
“I was first invited to lead an agricultural landscape restoration project for my client, Ms. Solange Olszewska. This collaboration developed very strongly and naturally. The latest project is One Health. Solange and Krzysztof Olszewski made their five-hectare estate available for therapies based on contact with nature. I am the president of this project, but also a trainer.”
“This place was empty for twelve years. Nobody lived here. And nature took it back. It became very beautiful. Sometimes it is even better without people. Nature finds its place.”
“Now this is the One Health center. There are small houses and one big house. But the most important thing is not the buildings. It is the land, the forest, the climate, the space that nature created during those years without people.”
Practices, Care, and Vision
“We work here with forest bathing, ornithotherapy, and therapy with ecological, organic, and biodynamic food. For us, One Health means something complex: people, animals, plants, food, body, and mind. You consume not only with your body, but also with your mind.”
“One Health is not only for me. I am very happy that it is useful for people, families, and children. We are a small team, but very aligned. Everyone thinks in the same way. We want to do something bigger than ourselves, something for the planet. This gives me a lot of optimism.”
Ph: Monika Bartkowiak
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共同成长，掌握打造深度自然体验的核心技能。
