IMMERSE YOURSELF

Moss covers the forest floor in Ice Pond Preserve in Hancock.

FOREST BATHING MIGHT BE THE STRESS REDUCER YOU’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR

STORY & PHOTOS BY AISLINN SARNACKI

Sunlight filters through the canopy to dance on the mossy ground. The clean scent of fir trees and fresh greenery mingles with the earthy aroma of fallen trees and decaying leaves. The long, tumbling song of a winter wren echoes through the trees.

Your breathing slows. Your shoulders relax. Your thoughts quiet.

Many people believe that spending time outdoors can reduce stress, whether that outdoor space is a forest, lakeshore, mountaintop or flower-filled meadow. But why?

In recent years, an increasing amount of research has been conducted in an effort to understand the possible health benefits of spending time outdoors. At the same time, the Japanese practice of “shinrin-yoku,” which roughly translates as “forest bathing” or “forest immersion” — has gained traction in the United States.

The practice involves using your senses to stay in the present moment while spending time outdoors, often in a forest.

How does the wind feel against your skin? What colors can you see in the petals of that wildflower? These are the things you think about while forest bathing.

“If people are drawn to it, they should try it,” said Jeanne Christie, a Registered Maine Guide and certified forest therapy guide from Windham. “It helps people to slow down, feel grounded and connected.”

Christie offers forest therapy experiences through her guide service, Connect to Wilderness. She describes it as “outward meditation” that includes transitioning from using the “executive brain” to the “default brain.”

“Spending time in the default brain and in nature can increase cognitive ability and creativity, and reduce stress,” Christie said. “It’s extremely good for mental health.”

Even if you don’t attempt this special form of meditation, simply spending time amongst trees and other plants could be beneficial to your health, according to numerous studies conducted in Japan and other countries.

For example, a 2006 study in Japan found that essential oils emitted by trees (called phytoncides) increase the activity of human natural killer cells, which help fight things like viruses and tumors.

(Right) Derek Runnells of Dedham takes a break on a bench while hiking in the Frank E. Woodworth Preserve in Harrington. Trail benches are great places to sit and engage in the practice of forest bathing, which involves slowing down, opening your senses and reconnecting to the natural world.

(Below) The last portion of Mount Willard Trail in New Hampshire strikes through a thick forest to an open view of the White Mountains and Crawford Notch.

A paper published in 2010 looked at the results of field experiments conducted in 24 forests across Japan. In the experiments, people who spent time in the forest had lower concentrations of cortisol, also known as the body’s “stress hormone.” Overall, they also had lower pulse rate and lower blood pressure, which can also be indicators of stress.

These studies and related research are listed in an article about forest bathing published online by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The article also points out gaps in our knowledge about how the forest affects us as humans.

“While the research in Japan is groundbreaking, we need more research on trees growing in the Northeastern US,” the article states. “We share some of the same genera with Japan, like pine, birch and oak, which all give off different phytoncides, but we have different species. The more we know about our local trees, the more applicable the science will be.”

In recent years, scientists from a number of countries have dived into the topic. In 2020, research conducted by Italian scientists found that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in forest air could benefit human health in a multitude of ways.

The research paper’s abstract states: “Inhaling forest VOCs like limonene and pinene can result in useful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on the airways, and … some terpenes (natural chemicals found in plants and animals) absorbed through inhalation may be also beneficial to promote brain functions by decreasing mental fatigue, inducing relaxation, and improving cognitive performance and mood.”

While scientific studies can certainly shed light on how the world works, some of the ways that a forest or other outdoor setting can impact a person’s health and wellbeing may not be measurable.

“Science is useful but limited,” Christie said, “and we run the risk of being limited ourselves if we’re utterly dependent on the things it can measure at this point in time … You can’t measure [the feeling of] connection to the world around you.”

Juno follows a hiking trail through a mossy forest at Baker Hill Preserve in Sullivan.