Enhance Your Health through Forest Bathing

If you have a penchant for reaping the bountiful benefits of the great outdoors, then forest bathing should undoubtedly find its way onto your to-do list. Fear not, for you needn’t reside in a profoundly wooded region to avail yourself of this natural therapeutic wonder. In actuality, there are numerous forest bathing spots in NYC, with the illustrious Central Park serving as a prime example.

The concept of forest bathing, which involves exposing ourselves to nature to harvest physical, mental, and emotional well-being, is age-old yet has gained significant momentum in recent times. It’s no hardship to come across a forest bathing book online or in brick-and-mortar bookstores, and you can even stumble upon forest bathing videos on YouTube.

One of the most remarkable attributes of forest bathing lies in its prowess to foster relaxation and alleviate stress, a matter of great import as stress plays a substantial role in numerous acute and chronic diseases.

What Is Forest Bathing?

Forest bathing is also referred to as shinrin-yoku. In Japanese, shinrin connotes “forest” and yoku implies “bath”. So, when combined, shinrin plus yoku amounts to a forest bath or the act of bathing in a forest milieu by absorbing your surroundings through all your senses. What about tree bathing? Some individuals also dub forest bathing as “tree bathing” or “nature therapy”.

Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing is said to have formally originated in the early 1980s in Japan, where it persists as a form of preventive medicine and natural treatment to this very day. From an anthropological (the study of humankind) vantage point, forest bathing or nature therapy has been practiced by diverse tribes and cultures since time immemorial.

When you engage in forest bathing, you aren’t striving for a sweat-inducing workout or aiming to reach the end of a lengthy trail. Rather, you are simply forging a connection with the nature that surrounds you.

Today, nature therapy is practiced across the globe in all manner of splendid forests. Japan remains one of the world’s regions that unsurprisingly holds forest bathing in high regard. It’s a country that currently boasts over 60 forest therapy camps.

To partake in forest bathing, you immerse yourself in naturally captivating and health-enhancing forest surroundings by employing your various senses of sight, hearing, smell, and the like. It’s intended to be an extremely serene and positive experience that science has demonstrated to bestow various health benefits, which I’m on the verge of sharing with you.

It’s known as Japanese forest bathing, but other ancient medical systems are decidedly enthusiasts of this practice, including Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) perceives humans as not being detached from nature and highly values maintaining contact with our natural environs. Many practitioners of TCM view our bodies as a reflection of the natural world. Forest bathing or nature therapy is a valued approach for maintaining homeostasis in the body along with other TCM practices such as acupuncture.

In Ayurvedic Medicine, there is an emphasis on universal interconnection or the notion of a connection among people, their health, and the universe. Yoga is one of the numerous natural means by which Ayurveda seeks to sustain this interconnection and nowadays, yoga is being merged with forest bathing. While some opt to walk or sit in their forest surroundings, others choose to impart an Ayurvedic twist to their tree bathing and practice yoga within the forest.

Health Benefits

1. Boost Immune Function

Forest bathing undoubtedly makes the roster of unconventional methods to thwart infections and serves as a booster for the immune system. A scientific review published in 2010 titled, “Effect of forest bathing trips on human immune function” discovers that spending time in nature can notably enhance the activity of white blood cells known as natural killer cells (NK). This is of considerable significance as NK cells contribute to the battle against virus and tumor cells.

The review discloses how three days of forest bathing augmented subjects’ NK activity, the number of NK cells, as well as the levels of intracellular anti-cancer proteins. These positive impacts of forest bathing are attributed to phytoncides, which are essentially antimicrobial wood essential oils from trees such as alpha-Pinene and limonene.

Previous scientific research involving human subjects has also indicated that exposure to phytoncides can significantly increase NK activity along with reducing stress hormone levels and elevating the expression of anti-cancer proteins. It’s not uncommon to find forest bathing recommended for cancer patients as being in the forest not only mitigates the stress and anxiety associated with cancer.

2. Lower Blood Pressure

High blood pressure or hypertension is not a condition to be taken lightly. Thankfully, there exist numerous natural means to bring hypertension under control. Shinrin yoku forest bathing has indeed been shown to assist in lowering blood pressure.

The researchers who published one forest bathing study in 2011 were already aware that forest environments are renowned for reducing stress hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline and generating an overall relaxing effect, but they were eager to uncover more.

In their small clinical study, these researchers examined how walking in forest environments influenced cardiovascular and metabolic parameters in 16 healthy male subjects. The outcomes were highly positive – habitual walking in forest environments appears to lower blood pressure by diminishing sympathetic nerve activity. The forest bathing also exerted positive effects on stress hormone levels.

3. Improve Nervous System Health

Forest bathing is also recognized for having a favorable impact on heart rate variability. This is extremely significant for nervous system health as heart rate variability (the variation in the time interval between heartbeats) is indicative of how balanced the sympathetic nervous system (whose main function is to activate the physiological changes that occur during the fight-or-flight response) and the parasympathetic system (also referred to as the “rest and digest system” or “recovery system” as it lowers blood pressure and heart rate) are.

Maintaining a balance between the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic system is crucial to evading a constant stressed state of fight-or-flight, and unsurprisingly, forest bathing seems to aid in maintaining this healthy nervous system equilibrium.

4. Reduce Stress

As pointed out in a forest bathing NPR article, trees are known to infuse the air with compounds that may have profoundly positive effects on human beings.

These compounds are called phytoncides and a study published in 2009 found that they can actually decrease stress hormone levels in both men and women. How do you obtain phytoncides through forest bathing? Simply inhale that invigorating forest air!

5. Boost Mental Health

Research published in 2015 once again demonstrates how we truly cannot afford to neglect spending time outdoors, especially as an increasing number of people reside in urban areas and feel disconnected from nature these days. This study revealed that participants who embarked on a 90-minute nature walk self-reported “lower levels of rumination and exhibited reduced neural activity in an area of the brain linked to the risk of mental illness compared with those who walked through an urban environment.”

As Irina Wen, PhD, a clinical psychologist and clinical director of the Steven A. Military Family Clinic at NYU Langone Medical Center remarks, “Nature can be beneficial for mental health. It reduces cognitive fatigue and stress and can be helpful in cases of depression and anxiety.”

In the mood for a mental uplift? It might be time to take a bath (sans soap or water) in your local forest.

6. Boost Cognitive Function and Get More Creative

It likely won’t astonish you (or perhaps it will) that spending more time in nature can genuinely enhance your creativity. A study conducted by psychologists from the University of Utah and University of Kansas found that backpackers’ creativity test scores were 50 percent better after spending four days in nature disconnected from electronic devices. This study published in 2012 was “the first to document systematic changes in higher-level cognitive function associated with immersion in nature.”

According to David Strayer, a co-author of the study and professor of psychology at the University of Utah, “This is a means of demonstrating that interacting with nature yields real, measurable benefits to creative problem-solving that truly hadn’t been formally demonstrated before.”

He adds, “It provides a rationale for attempting to understand what constitutes a healthy way to interact in the world, and that burying yourself in front of a computer 24/7 may have costs that can be remedied by taking a hike in nature.” (12) Additionally, for so many afflicted with smartphone addiction, venturing into nature is the prescription they most desperately need.

7. Earthing

Being outdoors also presents you with an opportunity to practice grounding or earthing, which is a method of connecting with the earth’s natural energy by going barefoot. The known benefits of earthing encompass reducing free radicals in the body when they come into contact with “free electrons,” whether from the earth or foods that have grown from the earth.

8. Counteract Seasonal Affective Disorder

You can combat seasonal affective disorder (SAD) by spending time outside as well. Researchers posit that this disorder might be linked to a deficiency of sunlight and vitamin D. When you spend time outdoors, you can obtain more of both and the benefits of vitamin D are substantial when it comes to numerous aspects of our health.

9. Breathe Clean Air

Let’s also not overlook how splendid it is to evade indoor air pollution and inhale some fresh air in the great outdoors.

How to Practice

The steps of forest bathing are rather straightforward:

• Make your way to a forest
• Amble slowly
• Breathe deeply
• Activate all your senses

Essentially, forest bathing involves spending time among trees and nature sans distractions. You won’t be ignoring anyone, as you decidedly won’t be using technology while forest bathing. The idea is to be wholly present, not to capture the moment for social media.

You also won’t be striving to reach a destination as you would during a hike; you’re simply in the woods, being very much in the moment and absorbing it all with your various senses, enabling you to behold the beauty around, inhale the fresh air, and feel the bark of a nearby tree. The act of forest bathing is decidedly somewhat meditative, but there are no stringent rules regarding concentration or discipline.

If you’re pondering, where can I find forest bathing near me? You can engage in forest bathing just about anywhere you find yourself surrounded by trees. This could be a small park within a city or a vast national park such as Yellowstone. Wherever you are, simply set the intention to connect with nature in a healing manner.

If you’re feeling uncertain about how to embark on forest bathing, you might find assistance in a nature guide. What is a nature guide? A nature guide typically helps people connect with their natural environment through interpretation and education.

There are now also certified forest therapy guides. What is a certified forest therapy guide? It’s someone who “facilitates safe and gentle walks, providing instructions – referred to as ‘invitations’ – for sensory opening activities along the way.”

If you’re interested in obtaining your forest bathing certification, the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Guides & Programs offers forest therapy guide training worldwide at select locations throughout the year.

Precautions

Forest bathing shares similar safety precautions to hiking or camping in a wooded area. If you’re going to engage in forest bathing, remember to:

• Check your local weather forecast before setting out.
• Let someone know your destination and expected return time, especially if you’re going solo.
• Verify current trail or park conditions for any closures, animal sightings, etc.
• Dress appropriately for the prevailing and anticipated weather.
• Have a first aid kit, food, and water at hand.
• Ensure you are familiar with your park or forest; carrying a map is a prudent idea even if you’ve been there before.

Final Thoughts

• What is forest therapy? Forest bathing, also known as forest therapy, is the act of spending time in a forest environment with the intention of absorbing and connecting with your natural surroundings using all your senses.
• One of the principal reasons why forest therapy can be so beneficial is the fact that trees emit beneficial compounds called phytoncides which have been shown to significantly increase NK activity, lower stress hormone levels and increase the expression of anti-cancer proteins.
• Forest bathing can be practiced in any wooded environment for any length of time.
• There are now forest bathing guides who can assist you in initiating your forest bathing practice.
• Forest bathing benefits encompass enhanced immune function, lower blood pressure, reduced stress and anxiety, improved nervous system health, an improved mental state, and heightened creativity.