It is important to explain that the term ‘forest bathing’ has nothing to do with an actual bath. What’s more, it is neither a hike, but is more of a free walk in the forest without any particular destination. According to advocates of this practice, the goal is to take it easy and immerse in the natural surroundings as much as possible. Forest bathing teaches us to use all of our senses.
What Does Forest Bathing Encompass?
While walking in the forest, you can touch the bark of trees, smell fresh plants, and most importantly, you should close the eyes and focus on your breathing, similarly to what is being done during meditation. The purpose is to remove all clutter from the brain and connect with nature. When you open your eyes, imagine as if this is the first time you are seeing the world. At this stage, you will start to focus on things you did not notice before like the swaying of the trees, the ripple of the water, and the flutter of birds.
Forest bathing gives you a unique opportunity to ‘be here, not there’. According to Amos Clifford, the founder of the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy, they want to encourage health care providers to make forest therapy a part of stress-reduction treatments. Though this is a rather new phenomenon in the U.S., in Japan, it has been present since the 90’s. Clifford’s association is planning to train and certify 250 new guides next year.
The Benefits of Forest Bathing
More and more evidence associate this therapy with a stronger immunity, more happiness, and less stress. Interestingly, a study from 2011 points out that though walking in the city and forest walks require the same physical activity, the latter one was able to minimize the blood pressure and stress hormones in the participants.
Additionally, trees are known to release compounds in the air which are thought to be helpful for us. For example, a study showed that phytoncides lowered the stress hormones in both men and women.
All in all, the health advantages of spending time in nature are not something new to us and before there were buildings and walls, our bodies had a natural adaptation to life in the natural world. However, nowadays, as most of our time is spent indoors, so forest bathing seems like a great excuse to leave your computer behind and enjoy the unique beauty of nature.