Take a hike … No, really
THERAPY: Forest bathing is designed to relieve stress and boost immune system
TORONTO — It’s no secret a walk in the woods can be great for boosting your mood. But a burgeoning group of nature enthusiasts say it can do much more — including strengthen immunity, lower blood pressure and ultimately lower health-care costs if done regularly.
This is the forest bathing movement, a growing eco-trend that has nothing to do with water and is all about immersing oneself in the healing properties of trees and plants.
The concept is inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, which translates to “taking in the forest atmosphere.” It involves simply walking — quietly, deliberately — in a forest, and taking in the sounds, scents, colours and vibe of nature.
Although physical, it’s not about exercise. The goal is to wind down and tune in to the natural world, says certified forest therapy guide Ben Porchuk.
“You really take time to notice things that you take for granted and as you do that, this is where the relaxation comes in,” says Porchuk, based in London, Ont. “You start to breathe more regularly and your cortisol production lowers, which means you feel de-stressed.”
He says forest bathing is a cornerstone of preventive health care in Japan, where shinrin-yoku emerged in the 1980s as stress associated with living in larger cities mounted.
Studies in Japan and South Korea found forest bathers after their walks had an increased number of “natural killer cells” — immune system cells that combat disease and may help prevent some cancers. The researchers believe natural killer cells are boosted when people breathe in organic compounds called phytoncides released by trees.
The data is still largely focused on Japan and South Korea, but it’s spurring similar studies and spawning growth in forest bathing tours, says Amos Clifford, founder of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.
There are five certified forest therapy guides in Canada, all in Ontario, but more are on the way, Clifford says. Canada has another five guides-in-training and Clifford expects up to 15 recruits will attend a training session in July near Toronto.
But do you need to pay a forest therapy guide $50 to take a walk?
Clifford says these are more than just walks; they’re guided experiences geared to getting stressed-out city dwellers to slow down and connect with their surroundings.
“That’s very difficult for most people,” Clifford says. “I can help you get out of your head and into your senses. And through your senses I can help you re-establish an almost kind of remembered way of connecting relationally with the forest.”
A session with Clifford can last three-and-a-half hours, but might only cover 400 metres. Guides suggest specific exercises along the way, such as watching leaves sway in the breeze or honing in on the furthest sound you can detect.
Porchuk keeps participants focused on introspection by playing a flute as they wander. He ends his sessions with a tea ceremony, in which he serves a brew made from leaves and flowers collected during the walk.
“When you move into nature this way and you disengage your mind, you get heightened senses,” says Porchuk, head of the Canadian chapter of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs. “It just really gives you a sensory experience that you probably haven’t experienced since you were a little kid.”
The principles behind the movement are well-established, even if the term “forest bathing” is relatively new, says Elizabeth Nisbet, an assistant professor at Trent University.
Nisbet, whose research focuses on the link between nature and health, points to Ontario Parks’ Healthy Parks Healthy People campaign and the Ontario Mental Health Association’s Mood Walks, which promotes a daily stroll as something that can be as effective in treating mild cases of depression as an antidepressant.
“It doesn’t mean every single person will benefit the same way from nature contact,” Nisbet says. “But the evidence is slowly building that there’s something positive about nature that helps people.”
One problem in Canada can be its cooler temperatures, which can limit outdoor activity. Clifford says forest bathing can be done in the winter, but more data is needed to understand the impact of weather.
“It’s like 30 years ago if you said, ‘I’m a yoga instructor,’ people would think, ‘Oh, does that mean you’re a member of some kind of cult?’ We’re kind of in the same place. And we’re not just promoting and developing a professional practice called forest therapy guiding, we’re also creating a whole new class of jobs, a new profession.”