From the moment you meet her, you understand that Luisa Wolf has a joyfulness about her. She has an energy that is equally peaceful as it is full of life. It’s a feeling that is contagious and nurtured through her relationship with nature. A wild feeling, or Wildfühlung, the name of her company.
After spending most of her career in the entertainment industry traveling around the world, she realized something was missing. She craved a deeper connection to the places she visited, a deeper appreciation for the nature that was in front of her, wherever she happened to be in the world. It was this missing connection that inspired her to start Wildfühlung.
“This world, this forest -
it can be my home in the same way
these four walls are my home.”
“When I was in a workshop in the forest, I realized this world, this forest - it can be my home in the same way these four walls are my home. And that’s when things started to shift.”
For the past three years, Luisa has offered interactive nature hikes to teach others how to activate their senses in order to connect more with nature, and in doing so, connect more with themselves. Her philosophy is simple: Get into nature and start exploring new things.
“I wanted to offer people a way to go outside in nature and discover, like when we were children and that came much more easily and naturally to us. To learn and connect through exploring. It’s about coming together and discovering what we can do for each other and ourselves to feel more connected.”
“I wanted to offer people a way to go outside in nature and discover, like when we were children."
Her hikes are not your typical hike through the forest, they are truly sensorial experiences. A perfectly balanced approach between guided instruction, interactive exercises and activities, as well as quiet moments carved out for individual reflection, observation and appreciation. Those who join Luisa’s hikes can expect everything from group mediations and sharing, to completely silent hiking in order to open your ears and really hear nature - the birds, the wind, the insects. They will have moments for private journaling and drawing sessions to see what’s inside of you, and to see what’s in front of you. You might walk barefoot for portions of the hike, depending on the conditions, to really feel and touch the earth. The hike concludes with a small, but very charming little picnic she prepares, to provide an experience that really delivers on all five senses.
Luisa describes the idea of “dreaming locally” as being aware of what’s around you, “To walk through your streets, your local parks, your local forest and not just walking through but to actually be present. To value what we have around us and to protect it. And to feel joy through it. Having this perspective can make a big difference in how we treat other people, how we treat other creatures, and how we treat the planet.”
Dream Locally "To value what we have around us and to protect it. And to feel joy through it."
That’s the beauty of spending an afternoon with Luisa, a renewed connection and appreciation for not just being in the moment, but an experience with nature you might not have otherwise. Or, as she describes it, “To go to the park in your local neighborhood and not just walk by that tree, but see that tree, to learn something about that tree, and to understand better what the tree needs.”
