Forest bathing is the practice of immersing yourself in nature in a mindful way and has had a recent resurgence due to the need to overcome everyday hectic life exacerbated by the pandemic. According to Google Trends, searches related to forest bathing grew by more than 300% worldwide in 2020.
This ecotherapy trend originated in Japan in the 1980’s. Forest bathing is also known as Shinrin-yoku, ‘Shinrin’ means forest and ‘Yoku’ stands for bathing, it’s considered to be one of the most accessible ways to get in touch with the natural world and to lower excessive stress.
Japan is one of the most demanding work environments in the world. It’s also prone to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis which adds an already stressed out nation. Fortunately, over 70% of Japan is still covered in forests. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries came up with this idea of shinrin yoku as an eco-antidote encouraging residents to reconnect nature and help with mental health burnout.
Heal your mind and body
Research proves that spending time in nature has a positive effect on our physical, mental, emotional, and social health. Forest bathings long list of benefits include:
- Relaxes the stressed part of your brain which helps us relax
- Positive hormones are released in the body
- You feel less sad, angry and anxious.
- It helps to avoid stress and burnout
- Aids in fighting depression and anxiety.
- Boosts immunity and leads to lesser days of illness as well as faster recovery from injury or surgery.
- Improves heart and lung health
- known to increase focus, concentration and memory.
- Improves relationships and better social health.
- improves our mental performance and creativity.
- Teaches you to switch off unwanted thoughts.
- Increases self worth and confidence.
- Overcome fear, self doubt and a wavering mind.
- Improves sleep.
- Strengthens the ability to control cravings and addictions.
- Helps you find peace and happiness in the present moment.
- Builds empathy.
- Allows you to find answers to important questions and decisions.
- Stabilises blood pressure
- Muscle tension decreases
By paying attention to our senses and moving in the forest mindfully we can not only get all the benefits of meditation for our mind, but also boost our immunity and create good health for our body.
The “A”s of forest bathing
Meditation can sometimes be hard, but when you are immersed in a forest bath it becomes easier to reach a peaceful state of mind. While forest bathing is not hard to do, it does take some practice to get its full benefits.
- Attention: Begin with simple activities which focus on objects in nature to hold our attention and slow us down. By directing and controlling our attention we are training to control the direction of our thoughts and feelings.
- Awareness: Once we are able to reach a calmer state of mind, we can grow our awareness. In the depths of the forest, one can sense the cycle of transformations that all life goes through, growing our awareness is growing our connection to all life.
- Answers: Our mind gets a much deserved rest so that it can apply itself with renewed energy and come up with surprisingly creative solutions. It begins to ask the right questions rather than simply seeking answers. The forest provides the light to spark new insights and learning which can give us a deeper understanding of life. It is the beginning of a journey into self discovery.
Where to go
Forest bathing can be done in any nature space that you feel safe in. The main goal is to go in silence and go slow. Go for at least 2 hours every week to get the full benefit. There are some great places to forest bath in the U.S., or you can head down to your local wooded park.
Not near a park? No worries, you can go to an urban park, or even bring the outside into your home with natural elements
Uses your senses to find things in nature that bring you peace and happiness.
LearningForest.org has a lot of great information about forest healing including online classes that can guide you on your wellbeing journey.
Enjoy your journey into the forest for clarity on what you want and how you will get there. And please, share with me your experience.