7 minute read
The Art and Science of Forest Bathing
Story and photos by Suzanne Rothmeyer
-Robert Louis Stevenson
What comes to mind when you hear the term “forest bathing”? To be honest, the first time I heard it, I imagined a bucolic scene of floating naked through—you guessed it, a forest worthy of a fairytale. But that’s just me imagining my best life.
Studies show that shinrin-yoku (literally “taking in the atmosphere of the forest”) has many psychological and physical benefits. Coined by the Japanese in the 1980s, the concept was a government response to increased stress levels and burnout in the workplace. Coupled with a campaign to raise awareness around preserving the country’s forests, the idea took hold. The program’s success triggered a flood of studies in the ‘90s, producing some surprising results.
What does that have to do with us today? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the COVID-19 pandemic has had a very real effect on our psyches. After experiencing the forced shutdown, many people reevaluated their lives and how they define success and happiness. The psychological fallout that isolation, disease, and unemployment have brought is its own pandemic. But there was an interesting side effect—at a certain point, people started going outside in droves.
Immersion
As an outdoorsy person, I couldn’t help but notice the dramatic uptick in bodies on the rivers, lakes, trails, and mountains I spend time on. And this, in turn, seems to have further reinforced the reevaluation of how we spend our time. Why? What is it about immersing oneself in nature that results in such a profound rethinking of our state of being? And what is happening in our brains and bodies when we slow down and interact with the natural world?
It turns out that spending as little as 10 minutes connecting to nature has significant health benefits. The concept is not new. What ancient cultures knew intuitively, recent studies are now confirming. It’s quality—not quantity— that makes the difference. Running on a wooded trail will not provide you the same benefits as a slow walk. Taking time to connect with all five senses to the natural world around you can ease depression, lower blood pressure and reduce anxiety— along with a host of other benefits. The evidence is growing - nature is good for you.
One of the many benefits of spending time in the forest is the effect of breathing in the phytoncides that certain mature trees give off. These phytoncides increase something called “natural killer cells” in your body (yes, they’re real). Among other things, these “NK cells” fight viruses, cancer, and inflammation. Hmmm. Is there some innate knowing in us that drew us into these spaces in the middle of a viral pandemic? Or was it as simple as cabin fever?
In my quest to find out more and experience forest bathing for myself, I signed up for a tour with a seasoned guide. Laura Ward of Earth Elements in Bellingham met me in a wooded park off of Chuckanut Drive and took me on a 45-minute deep dive into attentiveness. Now, if that sounds intimidating, trust me when I say she was warm, welcoming and although we took it slow, the time flew by.
So what do you do when forest bathing?
First, there are two primary methods—sitting or standing, and walking. Of course, you should feel free to combine these as you see fit, which is part of learning how to follow your senses. Think about how a child, when left alone, plays, how they respond to some inner impulse—trusting it as they move through their play. Do that.
If you’re walking, walk slowly. If you’re sitting, choose a quiet spot and plant yourself in an attitude of mindfulness.
Leave phones and other electronics at home or in the car.
Choose any quiet, green space, but a forest is ideal.
Take a moment to ground yourself. Be still, listen to your breath, and tune in to your five senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Be in the moment. As cliché as this sounds, think about it… how often are we, really, in the moment? What does it feel like to stop, close your eyes, and recognize a smell that takes you back into a memory? To allow that to come to you through all your senses rather than through a piece of technology?
Pay attention to all your contact points as you move through the space—your feet, hands, eyes, ears, nose, mouth. Notice your body in relation to your surroundings—with closed eyes, tune into sounds, and with open eyes, notice colors. Look at the leaves, the bark, the light, and shadow. Then, go macro: stare at a leaf or flower and take in the color variations, the structure, the scent. Paying deep attention to detail expands perspective and increases focus and attention span.
Nature’s Pace
As we drifted down the trail, Laura stopped often and drew my attention to details often missed. We spent minutes on a flower—observing the color, the design, the comings and goings of insects and bees. She prompted me to close my eyes and feel the breeze—to breath it in and notice the scents it carried. With a gentle attitude of receiving, her suggestions were never intrusive or mechanical. I found myself with a sense of being in my body that felt at once calming and powerful. Something was definitely happening. Adopting nature’s pace threw into relief the typical way of moving through our days on high speed, attached to devices, rushing through experiences.
Laura works with both the young and the elderly. She describes the discomfort many of the younger clients experience when leaving their phones behind and their struggle to focus. Scientists warn about our addiction to technology—the dopamine hits that keep us engaged. It’s rewiring our brains and disrupting creativity and deep thought. With her elderly clients, Laura says, “I’ve witnessed a newfound sense of happiness and joy in them. Their experiences of loneliness, chronic depression, PTSD, and anxiety, as well as body pain are reduced. I see increases in cognitive performance and restored levels of physical function.”
It’s hard to ignore such powerful results.
Come to Your Senses
Some believe energy transmission through the eyes to be the most powerful exchange of energy in our bodies. We take in “noise” and then release it through our eyes. While this might sound too new-agey for many, scientific studies show significant changes in the brain from gazing at the natural world. What our eyes are taking in matters. Moving from a computer screen to a wide vista or forested path is undeniably restorative, both physiologically and psychologically. We have to ask ourselves how we want to wire our brains and to what end. We get to decide that! Time in nature—at nature’s pace—decreases aggression, reduces stress and anxiety, increases compassion, and improves cognition. It can lower blood pressure, improve sleep, reduce glucose in diabetics, help with depression, and increase focus and attention span. These days, this sounds like a must-have list of benefits for us all, don’t you think?
Tuning into all our senses and connecting with nature is free. If you’d like some guidance to get you started, I highly recommend signing up for a forest bathing tour with Laura. It’s often helpful when forming a new habit to have some initial direction or the occasional refresher. My walks help tune me into myself and my connection to the world around me, and in doing so, bring my attention back to my truest priorities. I can’t help but think if we were all tuning out more of the external noise and more into our deepest knowing, the world would be a better place.
Taking the time to ground ourselves is like recalibrating our true compass. The nonstop onslaught of information and distractions keeps us hydroplaning over a more deeply lived life... one with more compassion and a real (not virtual) connection. Think of forest bathing as a wild sensory adventure that reveals something about yourself and the world. Call it whatever you want—a habit, a ritual, an exercise, but give it a try and see if it doesn’t surprise you.
