Wellness

LET TREES MAKE YOUR LIFE MORE BEAUTIFUL WITH FOREST BATHING NOW

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FOREST BATHING

Just as bathing cleanses the body, forest bathing cleanses and heals mind and spirit.

Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that a walk in the woods can do you good. And now, research is backing that up. Nature heals.

Wiltshire, England.

In his study on the effects of trees and nature on healing, psychologist Roger Ulrich demonstrated quicker recovery times for hospital patients who had a view of the natural world outside their hospital windows.

Forest Rays. Oregon.

We know that trees produce oxygen, so we have air to breathe. But recent studies have also shown that phytoncides, antimicrobial chemical compounds manufactured by many plants and trees, evaporate into the atmosphere to act as air fresheners, giving us cleaner, healthier air.

Blue Mountains, Australia.

In addition, pinene, a phytoncide compound in pine and other conifer trees, repels insects. And studies show that they increase the abilities of human antibodies to combat viruses, tumors, and some cancers.

Kyoto, Japan.

Inspired by Buddhist and Shinto practices, the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku, or “forest bathing,” is a tree-inspired sensory immersion. Seeing, touching, smelling, and tasting the trees and plants, restores calm and well-being.

Unnamed Lake, Snow Lakes Trail - Sky Lakes Wilderness, Oregon

Forest bathing has been shown to have beneficial effects on our immune systems, mood, self-esteem, physical fitness, blood pressure, anxiety, memory, attention, and creativity, among other benefits.

Music and Meditation. Sedona, Arizona.

L’Auberge de Sedona offers shinrin yoku on its beautiful wooded estate in Sedona, Arizona, which I have personally enjoyed. But you can do it anywhere you find a patch of beautiful trees. It’s a great way to unplug.

Beaver Falls in Oregon.

The interest in forest bathing has grown over the past several years. As more people live in urban settings, as we spend more time indoors and plugged into electronic devices, forest bathing can be a perfect antidote.

Forest. Azores, Portugal.

An increasing number of nature retreats, such as Earthwalk Ways, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, offer “forest therapy.”

Image: by Steve Slater. Tropical Forest Path. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Robert Zarr, a pediatrician in Washington, D.C., is a “physician champion” of DC Parks Rx, and prescribes time outside rather than pills, when appropriate.

Branch Brook Park. Newark, NJ.

Another fascinating new study published recently in the journal Nature, entitled "Neighborhood Greenspace and Health in a Large Urban Center," suggests that people who live on streets with 10 more trees have a significantly improved perception of health and wellbeing.

Colors of Spring. Stockholm, Sweden.

See how forest bathing works for you: Wander through the forest and find a place to sit and “bathe,” and pay attention to the beautiful trees around you, for as little as just 20 minutes.

Forest.

For more info, check out A Little Guidebook of Shinrin-Yoku. And check out more about the physical, mental and emotional benefits of forest bathing at The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.

Madagascar.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

Spring Green Reflection.

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Killarney National Park. Ireland.

IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: by Graham Duerden. West Woods Bluebells. Wiltshire, England.
Image: by Micah Sheldon. Kreis Pond, Montana.
Image: by Bo Nielsen. Forest Rays. Oregon.
Image: by Joan Elizabeth, of Blue Mountain Journal. Pine Forest. Blue Mountains, Australia.
Image: by Luke Zeme. Bamboo Forest. Kyoto, Japan.
Image: by Michael (a.k.a. moik) McCullough. Unnamed Lake, Snow Lakes Trail - Sky Lakes Wilderness, Oregon.
Image: Courtesy of L’Auberge de Sedona. Music and Meditation. Sedona, Arizona.
Image: by Michael Matti. Beaver Falls in Oregon.
Image: by Mika Hiironniemi. Forest. Azores, Portugal.
Image: by Steve Slater. Tropical Forest Path. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
Image: by Joshua Siniscal. Branch Brook Park. Newark, NJ.
Image: by Hector Melo A. Colors of Spring. Stockholm, Sweden.
Image: by David Strom. Forest.
Image: by Kiran SV, of Favorite Tourist Place. Avenue of the Baobabs. Madagascar.
Image: by Stanley Zimny. Spring Green Reflection.
Image: by Aida Mira Rodriguez. Killarney National Park. Ireland.
Image: by BN App - Download now!
Image: by Ryan McLean. Birch Trees.