WHAT IS FOREST BATHING?
Simply said: it is a guided, meditative walk in the woods where you will be invited to connect with nature using all your senses.
Shinrin-yoku, which translates to "forest bathing" is a practice developed in Japan in the 1980s, but it is something that we have known intuitively since the beginning of time...NATURE can heal us.
The Studies Speak for Themselves
Scientists began to study the effects of being immersed in nature on health. The results were remarkable, if not surprising to those of us who have always loved to play outside!
FOREST BATHING CAN:
- Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
- Improves sleep
- Boosts immunity
- Uplifts our mood
- Increases energy
- Promotes creativity
“The good news is that even a small amount of time in nature can have an impact on our health. A two-hour forest bathe will help you to unplug from technology and slow down. It will bring you into the present moment to de-stress and relax you. When you connect to nature through all five of your senses, you begin to draw on the vast array of benefits the natural world provides.”
What to Expect?
This will be an easygoing pace amble in the woods with our only goal being to relax and connect with nature.
As your guide, I will invite you to participate in a series of sensory experiences designed to help you be present and tap into the world around you, releasing stress and deepening your relationship with the more-than-human world.
Forest bathing experiences are about two hours long and typically less than a mile. Our goal is not some big workout, but rather a chance to unplug and restore.
Listen now for a deeper dive into the research behind forest bathing!
Check out this wonderful episode from the Gentle Finds podcast in which Lindsay Scott interviews Dr. Qing Li, one of the world's leading experts in forest medicine.
(Watch the video with close captioning for the greatest clarity)
additional resources
Why Everyone Should Experience Forest Bathing!
“We don’t have to think while we are practicing forest therapy; we are focused on experiencing the forest through our senses. The mind quiets down, we become present, and our bodies connect to the experience...”
The definitive and by far the most popular guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness.
As a society, we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees--what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing--can promote health and happiness.
In this beautiful book--featuring more than 100 color photos from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that crisscross Japan--Dr. Qing Li, the world's foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer.
Once you've discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.
