If you go down to the woods...
VICKI-MARIE COSSAR ON HOW FOREST BATHING CAN LIFT YOUR MOOD...
WHEN was the last time you took a long walk through a forest, listened to the birds sing and stopped to smell the foliage or touch the bark of the majestic tress there?
While people have used walking, hiking and visiting green spaces to cope during the pandemic, the practice of forest bathing is still largely unknown.
Developed in Japan, Shinrin-Yoku – which translates as forest bathing in English – is an immersive nature therapy experience that’s supposed to be done under the canopy of trees. Once there you fully immerse yourself in the forest atmosphere, taking in your surroundings with all five senses.
It might sound a bit woo-woo, but the evidence for its benefits are huge. The practice can be as simple as walking in any forest and connecting with what’s around you, but there are also guides and retreats to help structure how you go about it.
In Japan, forest medicine expert Dr Qing Li started researching the benefits of Shinrin-Yoku in 2004 (the term dates back to 1982). Studies there now show it can reduce blood pressure, lower stress, improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, lower blood-sugar levels, improve concentration and memory, lift depression and anxiety and boost your energy levels. Most importantly, it boosts the immune system with an increase in the count of the body’s natural killer (NK) cells, while also increase anti-cancer protein production.
‘It’s seen as preventative therapeutic intervention for people,’ says Gary Evans, co-founder of The Forest Bathing Institute in the UK. ‘During the first lockdown across England, a survey carried out by Natural England found that 85 per cent of adults reported being in nature made them happy. ‘Forest bathing isn’t a jog, or a walk with a friend, as those activities raise your heart rate. Instead, we encourage people to go out by themselves and slow down, immerse themselves and focus on their senses. ‘It’s about lowering the heart rate, promoting calm and aiding relaxation. It’s a form of mindfulness, as being in nature and not thinking about your “to-do” list means you’re mindfully observing. ‘Simply finding a nice place to sit in the forest and absorbing the surroundings can be incredibly relaxing.’
In the UK, the first scientific research study into forest bathing’s health benefits was published earlier this year and it’s hoped this will now help healthcare providers understand its effects and prescribe it to improve our wellbeing.
In Japan, meanwhile, it’s already prescribed to patients who have high blood pressure, or who say they’re stressed, and the country
‘Don’t underestimate the importance of slow-paced time spent in nature’
has more than 60 accredited woodland trails. The Japanese tourist board say that millions of people a year are now using forest bathing for preventative healthcare.
‘This research is timely as the findings evidence significant improvements in mood, nature connection, rumination, compassion and pro-environmental attitudes,’ says Dr Kirsten McEwan,
lead research fellow at the University Of Derby’s Department Of Health, Psychology And Social Care. ‘The study also produced improvements in heart rate variability in 57 per cent of participants and reduced anxiety by 29 per cent.’
It’s not just the health and wellbeing benefits we could reap. Gary hopes that, as we come to understand how much we need the environment, there will be a bigger focus on protecting it.
‘Don’t underestimate the importance and benefits of slow-paced time in nature,’ he says. ‘It’s widely accepted now that we can’t constantly be in the fight-or-flight response. It puts too much pressure on our physiology, which leads to increased stress. Taking some time out in the forest will nourish the major organs and higher brain function through the parasympathetic nervous system.
‘Numerous studies have shown, slow-paced activities such as forest bathing lead to greater creativity and problem-solving skills, both of which are extremely helpful in our business and personal lives.’
The Forest Bathing Institute has also been asked to launch the UK branch of a Japanese research organisation by Dr Qing Li. This new collaboration should lead to increased international cooperation on the scientific research surrounding forest bathing. In the meantime, if you’re feeling disconnected from nature, or stressed out and stuck in city life, it’s time to take a jaunt to the countryside and embrace everything it has to offer.