Come home to the living world.

MEET YOUR GUIDE AND DISCOVER
THE PRACTICE OF NATURE & FOREST THERAPY

Meet Your guide

Hi, I’m Monique.

Monique Kueker, Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide

I’m a certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the land is spacious, soulful, and always enchanting.

I guide gentle, sensory-based walks that help people slow down and reconnect with themselves, with others, and with the more-than-human world.

This practice has helped me find wonder and clarity in my own life. I’m honored to share it with those who feel the call to walk a little more slowly, breathe a little more deeply, and listen to what the earth might be whispering.

I was born and raised in the land of the Kaw, “the people of the south wind.”
The land I call home today has also been home to the Piro, Tiwa, and Ute peoples and the Folsom and Clovis before them. I offer gratitude for the many original tenders of this land and their wisdom. I acknowledge the unjust treatment of indigenous peoples by my ancestors, stealing of their land, livelihood, and lives.
The Sandia Mountains and Middle Rio Grande watersheds nurture the earth where I walk. I offer gratitude for the water that makes life possible. I offer gratitude for the natural world surrounding me and all its beings. I acknowledge the careless treatment of this precious land and water by humans. Our disregard causes harm to all beings.
Our collective selfish behaviors are heartbreaking. However, I am committed to honoring all lands and all peoples. I believe in deepening our connection to this land and one another. I remain optimistic that through our improved behaviors towards each other and the more-than-human world, we may all heal.

Person holding a prickly pear cactus pad with two hands in front of a blurred natural background.

A little about me

- Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, Certified Guide
- Bernalillo County, Master Naturalist
- Tree New Mexico, Tree Steward
- BTS, EcoSpirtual Leadership
- Washburn University, Teacher Certification
- Kansas State University, Anthropology Degree
- Appreciation
- Compassion
- Curiosity
- My beloved dog and his unconditional love.
- Gathering in communion with like-minded souls.
- The written word from poets, authors, and any other sages, and the nurturing from the hours reading.
- The quiet - as much as the day allows.
- Being in nature - whether walking the beloved dog, hiking on a trail (or bushwhacking my own), driving in a convertible in the open country, or simply sitting outdoors.
- My family - believing it’s vital for me to give the world as much love and care as possible for my daughters--and for my ancestors, who left this gift to me.
- The overwhelming awe I feel when I see something beautiful in the world, which I experience every day looking out my window at the Sandia Mountains (or my lovely Chinese Pistache tree-friend).

What is nature & forest therapy?

A different kind of walk

Nature and forest therapy is a guided practice that invites you to connect with the natural world through your senses. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), it’s less about destination and more about presence.

Walks are slow, spacious, and supported by gentle invitations that help you notice, feel, and tune in.

A woman with closed eyes standing outdoors, wearing a blue jacket.

What can you expect during a walk?

A nature or forest therapy walk is not a hike. It’s a slow, gentle invitation to be fully present in nature.

You'll be guided through simple mindfulness and sensory exercises that help you:

Slow down and move at a leisurely pace
Notice details in the natural world: light, sound, texture, movement
Connect with your senses through guided invitations
Experience stillness, reflection, and calm

Each walk is designed to be restorative and grounding, offering space to relax, reflect, and reconnect with yourself and the living world around you.