FOREST BATHING
Get a wellness boost with this Japanese eco-therapy practice
Shinrin yoku, which translates to forest bathing in Japanese, is the practice of slowing down and connecting with nature. You don’t need a towel, just a willingness to tune in to your senses. In Japan, where it’s recognized as therapeutic medicine for an overworked population, an entire industry has sprung up around shinrin yoku. There are “forest therapy bases” where Japanese cleanse away stress by strolling along official therapy trails.
There is no official network yet in the United States. Instead, experts such as Amos Clifford, a Zen practitioner and wilderness guide, lead two- to three-hour walks over short distances.
“It’s different than hiking, which has a destination: to get there. In forest therapy, it’s really about being here,” says Clifford, founder of Shinrin Yoku, a Santa Rosa organization that certifies forest therapy guides. “You’re bringing awareness into your body. Enjoying what the forest has to offer moment to moment.”
Research into the benefits of forest bathing points to reduced stress, anxiety and depression; lower blood pressure, and a boost in immunity. “When you’re in the forest, the trees are breathing out oxygen. In addition, just psychologically, our minds are at ease.”
Quieting the mind can be difficult. That’s where the guides come in. “We have this series of invitations, ways of helping people stay in their bodies and in their senses,” says Clifford.
A simple invitation might be to take off your shoes, sit by a stream, put your feet into the water and notice the feeling. “As we’re doing that, we’re connecting with the water. We might invite people to call out some of their thoughts. People start connecting with the beauty of water and their love of water.”
But don’t call it meditation, he says: “I prefer to leave meditation and mindfulness out of forest bathing. These concepts can get between us and enjoying the touch of the water.” To experience forest bathing in the Bay Area, go to www.shinrin-yoku.org.