FOREST BATHING
The forest is where I get my energy. So, I keep going back to the mountains to walk under the canopy of a rainforest, undeterred by my age (I am a senior citizen); or by the time I have to clear just to go outdoors; or by the cost of what is slowly becoming an expedition (friends joining me).
Long before I learned about forest bathing, I took delight in taking a hike in the forests, and later, climbing to the summit – because I would feel energized and in high spirits.
I tell my friends that a long walk – or even a climb – worked like magic to me. Instead of getting into a sour mood because of physical exhaustion, I savored the time to rest while in uncomfortable positions, sitting on a dead tree trunk or a mound of earth. Not even a downpour could trigger my temper.
Early this year, my son and I climbed Mt. Ulap, a trail that meandered through at least five mountains, where the trail led to the summit of each. The exit trail was even more exhausting – a 70-degree cliff with rows of steps carved onto the hard earth. We did the whole trail in exactly 12 hours.
I would like to think that being in the forests had “marinated” my body with nature’s healing magic. After a short rest and change of clothes, we left Itogon town in Benguet at 8 p.m., reached Baguio City to buy our dinner at 9, and were home in Quezon City by 2 a.m. The next day, I was at work at 2 p.m.
That, to me, is the result of “forest bathing,” a Japanese concept known as “shinrin-yoku” which is described simply as intentionally connecting to nature.
In the book The Healing Magic of Forest Bathing, the value of the practice cites a 2009 study on therapeutic effects of forest bathing: “Spending time immersed in nature reduces stress, lowers heart rate, lowers cortisol levels, decreases inflammation, boosts the immune system, improves mood, increases the ability to focus, jump starts creativity, increases energy levels, and makes us more generous and compassionate.”
Another research paper said: “In a study spanning visitors to 24 forests, Japanese research showed that when people strolled through forested areas, their levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, plummeted almost 16 percent more than when they walked in an urban environment.”
If that is not enough to convince you, here’s another finding cited in Hiking Research: “The effects were quickly apparent: within minutes of beginning a walk in the woods, the subject’s blood pressures showed improvement.”
The magic happens when we take a hike in the forest. That is easy to do. Our body is made to walk. A hike is just a long walk, a little longer than the walks we take around the malls.
When I first climbed Mt. Pulag, my reference point to the 7.5kilometer distance to the summit (from the ranger station) was that it would only be about threeand-a-half rounds of the UP Diliman campus oblation and sunken garden loop, which is exactly 2.2 kilometers.
Relating the distance of the hike to your long walk on flat land, of course, is not accurate – but it will boost your confidence that you, even as a beginner, can finish the trek.
‘In a study spanning visitors to 24 forests, Japanese research showed that when people strolled through forested areas, their levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, plummeted almost 16 percent more than when they walked in an urban environment.’