TREES CAN MAKE YOU MORE BEAUTIFUL NOW
FOREST BATHING
Just as bathing cleanses the body, forest bathing cleanses and heals mind and spirit.
Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that a walk in the woods can do you good.
Shinrin-yoku is a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. Research is showing that Nature heals. And now shinrin-yoku and forest therapy are being practiced around the world.
For example, many trees give off organic compounds that support our “NK” (natural killer) cells that are part of our immune system's way of fighting cancer.
The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy offers Guides and Programs that combines leisurely walks on gentle paths under forest canopy with guided activities to help you open your senses, hone your intuition, and experience the forest as you never have before.
Shinrin-Yoku.org draws upon mindfulness meditation practices, and the techniques of deep nature connection mentoring. They organize Shinrin-yoku forest therapy walks.
In his study on the effects of trees and nature on healing, psychologist Roger Ulrich demonstrated quicker recovery times for hospital patients who had a view of the natural world outside their hospital windows.
We know that trees produce oxygen, so we have air to breathe. But recent studies have also shown that phytoncides, antimicrobial chemical compounds manufactured by many plants and trees, evaporate into the atmosphere to act as air fresheners, giving us cleaner, healthier air.
In addition, pinene, a phytoncide compound in pine and other conifer trees, repels insects. And studies show that they increase the abilities of human antibodies to combat viruses, tumors, and some cancers.
Inspired by Buddhist and Shinto practices, the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku, or “forest bathing,” is a tree-inspired sensory immersion. Seeing, touching, smelling, and tasting the trees and plants, restores calm and well-being.
Forest bathing has been shown to have beneficial effects on our immune systems, mood, self-esteem, physical fitness, blood pressure, anxiety, memory, attention, and creativity, among other benefits.
L’Auberge de Sedona offers shinrin yoku on its beautiful wooded estate in Sedona, Arizona, which I have personally enjoyed. But you can do it anywhere you find a patch of beautiful trees. It’s a great way to unplug.
The interest in forest bathing has grown over the past several years. As more people live in urban settings, as we spend more time indoors and plugged into electronic devices, forest bathing can be a perfect antidote.
Unplug and Recharge in Nature Day, an annual event organized by the Wilderness Awareness School on 40 acres of forested land just outside of Washington State’s high-tech corridor, helps Microsoft, Amazon and other tech employees revive their spirits.
An increasing number of nature retreats, such as Earthwalk Ways, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, offer “forest therapy.”
Robert Zarr, a pediatrician in Washington, D.C., is a “physician champion” of DC Parks Rx, and prescribes time outside rather than pills, when appropriate.
Another fascinating new study published recently in the journal Nature, entitled "Neighborhood Greenspace and Health in a Large Urban Center," suggests that people who live on streets with 10 more trees have a significantly improved perception of health and wellbeing.
See how forest bathing works for you: Wander through the forest and find a place to sit and “bathe,” and pay attention to the beautiful trees around you, for as little as just 20 minutes.
For more info, check out A Little Guidebook of Shinrin-Yoku. And check out more about the physical, mental and emotional benefits of forest bathing at The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.
Read more about Beautiful Trees. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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