Years ago, on the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, MA, I met another flower lover and the conversation came around to hiking. “Ah!” she said, “Forest bathing! How wonderful!” In answer to my question, she explained it was a popular pastime in Japan, taking a relaxing walk in the woods. I later learned it’s also known as forest therapy: you go in stressed, you come out calm.
Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese word, is a particular way of being in meditative mode while in total sensory immersion in the forest.
First, what it’s not:
Walking your dog. Spending time with your beloved pet roaming in the forest is a wonderful experience, but he’ll tug on his leash so hard you can’t even stop to “smell the roses.”
A social walk with family and friends. Conversations and chasing kids distracts from the purpose of forest bathing.
Hiking. This is generally exercise, having a purpose / destination, straining your muscles, and breathing heavily.
Training for a triathlon. Your friend is a triathlete and needs to train for a competition, whereas you need to absorb your spectacular surroundings. She runs off and disappears into the woods within seconds, while you stand still, listening to a nearby waterfall, amazed by rocky cliffs, smelling sweet flowers. Suddenly she reappears and yells “C’mon! Let’s go! We have to get to XYZ by 5 o’clock!” No, we really don’t; we can come back for that next time.
Now to what it is:
On a leisurely, meandering walk, completely for yourself, in solitude, along a forest trail, you breathe slowly and deeply, and take this time to tune in to your senses — body, mind and soul. It’s important to be alone at times to reduce stimulation, staying with your thoughts and feelings. It’s possible to be together with another person, but each is “in their own world” ("companionate solitude”).
You focus on:
The visual - what you can see (animals, birds, trees, colors, a glimpse of sky),
The tactile - what you can feel (moss, leaves, tree bark, the earth, cool breeze on your skin).
The olfactory - what you can smell (fresh clean air, pine trees, flowers, musty dry leaves, muddy earth)
The auditory - what you can hear (birds, rustling leaves, woodpecker, buzzing insects, drizzling rain, a breeze in the treetops, a plane overhead), …
The taste - maybe you even found some wild forest fruit to taste.
When you’re in a forest, you experience and appreciate its beauty. You may discover something you hadn’t noticed before and learn something new. You may derive a new insight, or even have a spiritual experience, going beyond your self and your community. The concept of “biophilia” refers to the idea that humans are unconsciously emotionally connected to Nature. Well, I say of course! It’s obvious! We evolved in Nature and are still part of it, no matter how hard we try to distance ourselves from it (cities, technology, agribusiness, etc.). We are one with Nature.
In the 1980s Dr. Qing Li, professor at Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, and President of the Society of Forest Medicine, found that “excessive sensory overload” and “tech-boom burnout” lead to increased stress and anxiety. Forest bathing grew into a preventive healthcare and healing, and soon became a popular mindfulness practice. Additionally, forest bathing offers a way to help protect forests from pollution and deforestation, and is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Forest bathing is meant to be a physiological and psychological exercise, and medical providers now prescribe shinrin-yoku. Just being in the forest takes you away from day-to-day stressors. You forget your worries. Your shoes and your clothing are comfortable, the air is fresh and clean, you have some nourishment and a refreshing drink. It’s certainly also cooler than in the city.
Research shows that just 20 minutes daily of forest bathing has many positive effects. It lowers your heart rate, blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol. It raises the “feel-good” hormone serotonin. It calms and clears your mind, helps your ability to solve problems, and sparks new ideas. Further benefits include reduced anxiety, and improved memory and sleep.
According to the USDA, and as we intrinsically know, forests hold a higher concentration of oxygen than urban spaces. Plants release waste-product oxygen into the air, and animals (including humans) inhale it as a life-sustaining factor. Plants also produce phytoncides, oils that protect plants from pests, and as they stick to our skin they improve our immune system by reducing viruses. They also increase anti-cancer proteins, and help to reduce blood pressure, heart rate, anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue and confusion. These benefits can last over a month. Evergreens are among the best trees for producing phytoncides, so on your next forest-bathing walk, give yourself some extra time near a pine or spruce. As a thank-you gift, talk to it — you will give it some extra life-giving carbon dioxide.
And have you thought about the colors of the forest? When you leave the hustling bustling grey city and enter a forest, how do you feel seeing all that green? There is a body of research on the psychology and physiology of colors. The long wavelength of green has a calming effect on your brain via the pituitary gland, increasing focus and concentration. Green is also symbolic of motivation, health, peace and life. In an indoor work or educational environment, performance can be better if you have a plant or a vase of fresh flowers, as can a view of some green space out a window.
So next time you go out into the forest, or even a park, experience all your senses — mind, body and soul. Take it all in, one sense at a time. But if you’re unable to get to a forest, buy yourself a plant and take good care of it.