Wellness Magazine Autumn 2022 edition

Page 36

H E A LT H

TA K E N BY TREES By Michael Holmwood

that would offer the solution to this crisis. The Director General of the ministry, Tomohide Akiyama, is said to be responsible for developing the concept of ‘shinrin-yoku’ – which, at its core, would promote the principle of reciprocity. The public would benefit from forests that had been designed and maintained with the practice of forest bathing in mind. By making the forests more accessible, people were more inclined to engage with nature and experience many positive benefits. Over time, the relationship between people and nature was rekindled, and the appreciation and respect for Nature was revived - resulting in more people wanting to protect it.

T

he thought of forest bathing may stir up some interesting images, but I can assure you that it’s all totally innocent and rather serene. The term originated in Japan in the 1980s, where it is known as shinrin-yoku - ‘shinrin’ meaning forest, and ‘yoku’ meaning bath. Simply put, forest bathing is all about immersing yourself in the forest by taking in the atmosphere through your senses. More on that in a bit. We first need to understand that Japanese culture is inherently deeply religious, with its roots originating in two main religions - Shinto and Buddhism. These two religions have

34 \\ W W W. W E L L N E S S W A R E H O U S E . C O M

many similarities, but the most pertinent has to be their shared appreciation and respect for nature. They believe that you are part of nature, and that you feel your best when you are connected to it. Back in the 1980s, these deeply embedded beliefs were challenged by the tech boom and the materialistic values that came along with it. The Japanese economy was thriving, but at the cost of diminishing forests and a burnt-out population. It was The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries

It was a genius move made by the ministry, designed to support their agenda with an added health benefit for the people of Japan. These hopes for health benefits were based mostly upon religious beliefs and intuition at the time. Although the benefits were clearly there from inception, it wasn’t until the late 1990s and into the early 2000s that science would provide a deeper understanding of the healing power at play. It turns out there really is something quite significant about the presence of trees. Studies found that trees release phytoncides, an anti-bacterial/


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Articles inside

THE ART OF LEARNING FROM NATURE

11min
pages 84-87

BLISS & STARS

2min
pages 82-83

JARDIM ORGANIC FAMILY FARM

1min
page 81

OVERCOME YOUR FEARS

3min
page 80

YOUR INNER VOICE IS YOUR GUIDE

3min
page 78

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR FINANCES

2min
page 79

LIVE WITH INTENTION

3min
pages 76-77

SELF-CARE: THE NEW HEALTHCARE

2min
pages 74-75

A DAY WITH A DOULA

4min
pages 70-73

VIBRANT VEGGIES & MAGNIFICENT MICROGREENS

3min
pages 68-69

AUTUMN BEAUTY

5min
pages 64-67

FINDING YIN

3min
pages 62-63

YOUR CHANCE TO SHAPE THE WORLD

2min
pages 60-61

DISCOVER SA’S BEST HIKES

6min
pages 58-59

THE COLLAGEN CRAZE

5min
pages 42-47

MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS

3min
pages 48-53

TAKEN BY TREES

4min
pages 36-37

TRUST YOUR GUT

2min
pages 38-41

WIN WITH WELLNESS

1min
pages 34-35

ARE YOU A REDUCETARIAN?

2min
pages 32-33

HONEYBEE HEROES

3min
pages 28-31

FREE RANGE EGGS: NOT ALL THEY’RE CRACKED UP TO BE?

3min
pages 26-27

MY JOURNEY TO WELLNESS

3min
pages 16-17

CHERRY TOMATO & COUSCOUS SALAD

1min
pages 22-23

STORE DIRECTORY

4min
pages 14-15

SWEET POTATO ROSES

2min
pages 24-25

A MAN ON A MISSION

6min
pages 18-21

EDITOR’S CHOICE

4min
pages 8-9

SNAP, CHAT & WIN

0
pages 10-11
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.