Forest Bathing: How a Walk in the Woods Can Reduce Stress

What is Forest Bathing?

Forest bathing, or Shinrin-Yoku, is a Japanese practice that involves immersing oneself in the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. Connecting with the natural world on a sensory level provides many health benefits, including lower cortisol levels, reduced blood pressure, boosted immunity and improved well-being.

The concept of forest bathing was introduced by the Forest Agency of the Japanese Government in the 1980s, when citizens were encouraged to improve their health by visiting Japan's public green spaces and forests. Since then, significant research has been done on the benefits, and forest bathing has gained global popularity as a simple and effective practice.

Healing Our Relationship With Nature

Nature and trees provide many natural benefits to our health and well-being. We evolved with trees and have relied on their food, medicine, shade, and shelter for millennia.

Today, much of humanity has disconnected from nature. We've paved over wetlands, sealed our homes against the elements, and limited our direct contact with the natural world. But while we're busy laying pavement and raising cities, nature continues to do the quiet work that makes it all possible.

The Simple Power of Walking in the Woods

We aren’t meant to sit in front of screens all day, eat processed foods, or only view nature outside our window. We're meant to "live in the sunshine, swim the sea, and drink the wild air," as out by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

That's where forest bathing; the practice of “walking slowly through the woods, in no hurry, for a morning, an afternoon, or a day,” comes in. Coined in 1982 by Tomohide Akiyama, Director of the Japanese Forestry Agency, it leads us back to ourselves.

Studies have shown that when we’re exposed to nature, even for a short amount of time, our blood pressure, pulse rate, inflammation, and cortisol levels go down. Nature's ultimate therapy can also elevate our moods and activate cancer fighting natural killer (NK) cells. As a result, we may experience lower levels of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and mental fog. Simply put: forests help us stay happy, relaxed, and well. 

Thanks to the high concentrations of phytoncides (airborne essential oils) they release, evergreen trees offer a different kind of therapy. These “showers” are part of the tree’s own medicine and provide powerful stress relief and a natural immunity boost that can last for weeks.

How to Start Forest Bathing

Ready to try forest bathing? Here's how:

• Head to the forest nearest to you, pocket your phone, and bring your awareness to your senses. 
• Close your eyes and listen to the trees swaying and creaking in the wind.
• Feel that same wind moving over and through you. Listen to the life around you; birds calling, insects buzzing, trees shifting. 
• Open your eyes and scan your surroundings, taking in colors and patterns, the interplay of light and shadow. 
• Reach out and touch the trunk of a tree, feeling the bumps, the grooves, the bark beneath your fingers. 
• Breathe deeply and smell the green understory plants, the sharp twang of evergreen, the sweetness of the soil. 
• Pinch a fresh pine needle (which contains antioxidants and vitamin C) and place it on your tongue, tasting the forest.
• If you feel comfortable, remove your shoes and feel the solid earth beneath your feet.

If you can't get to a forest, that’s okay: there are other ways to connect with nature. These include keeping plants in your home or workplace, taking the scenic route as often as possible, eating your lunch outside, or planting a garden. You can even play the soothing sounds of the forest from any device.

And if you're looking for a way to help ensure that there are trees for healthy forest bathing for many years to come, plant trees with us!