From the deep Japanese forests, a new wellness trend has arisen called shinrin-yoku or in other words forest bathing. Shinrin in Japanese means “forest,” and yoku means “bath“, meaning bathing in the forest atmosphere or taking in the forest through our senses.

What is forest bathing?

Lately, stress-induced health issues have become a sociological problem on a global scale. As a solution, a Japanese scientist, Prof. Yoshifumi Miyazaki, introduced shinrin-yoku, a new approach to naturopathy that uses proactive ways to lower stress levels, improve quality of life and potentially reduce health care costs and resources for stress-related illnesses.

We instinctively understand that nature calms us. Forest bathing is natural, non-intrusive, and harnesses one of the properties our bodies already have: the ability to adapt to nature. The main idea of this kind of therapy is to increase physiological relaxation and act as a preventive medicine, improving the body’s natural resistance to diseases, which decreases under stress conditions.

In a natural environment, stress decreases and humans have noticed a feeling of relaxation, freshness, and feel new energy within themselves. This quite simple action helps regulate the nervous system while creating a balance between activating and relaxing, which is a main indicator of well-being.

The positive effect of shinrin-yoku:

1.     Improvement in weakened immunity, while the number of the body’s natural killer cells increases, which are known for fighting diseases and cancer.
2.     Greater release of body tension due to parasympathetic nervous system activation.
3.     Decreasing body stress due to reduced sympathetic nervous system activity.
4.     Lower blood pressure after just 15 minutes of forest therapy.
5.     A decrease in feelings of stress and an increase in general well-being. 

How to practice forest bathing?

The purpose of shinrin-yoku is to reduce the overstimulation caused by the artificial and urban environment as well as to relieve tension.

Shinrin-yoku means that you walk through the forest at a slow pace for 2 hours or more. The phone is turned off and it gives time to absorb the surrounding environment and be present in the moment and place.

Feel how your feet touch the ground, the movement of your muscles, the balancing of the body. Relax areas of the body that are stiff or painful. Become aware of your current mental and emotional state.

Pay attention to your surroundings, sounds, and air temperature. Allow awareness to rise through each part of your body, noticing the sensations that arise as you walk. Use all of your 5 senses to be present.

Smell the forest around you, and see all the colors of leaves and shapes, patterns, and movement. Listen to the sounds of the forest, be that the sound of birds or leaves rustling in the wind, and touch the different textures of trees or the coldness of the water.

You can forest bathe anywhere, wherever there are trees, in hot weather or cold, in rain, sunshine, or snow. Once you learn how to be present and immerse yourself in the nature that surrounds you, you can shinrin-yoku everywhere!

This blog post is based on the book Shinrin-yoku by Prof. Yoshifumi Miyazaki, Aster 2018.