Find me where the forests are
The arrival of spring brings with it enticing bursts of colour, intoxicating smells and the warmth of sunlight touching your skin. Have you ever noticed how you feel after spending time in nature? It truly fills our cup, creates space for our minds, revitalises our spirits and fills us with wonder.
So how do we offer ourselves a spring reset with nature? With constant tasking and managing in overdrive and the allure and necessity of our mobile devices imbedded in much of our lives, our time outdoors is often becoming more infrequent. The good news is that it only takes a short period of time in nature to slow down and gain a new perspective.
Enter Japanese forest bathing or ‘shinrin-yoku’ (shinrin meaning ‘forest’ and yoku meaning ‘bath’) which is now becoming widely recognised and adopted around the world as a major mental health intervention.
Forest Bathing involves an experiential mindfulness journey in nature, inviting a “slowing down” and reconnection to nature via the 5 senses. As you drop into the present moment, the lens of nature softens the harshness of our day to day lives and you can begin to appreciate the wonder of nature, take in your surroundings and tune into yourself.
Scientific reserach indicates that forest bathing:
Reduces blood pressure and stress levels
Significantly improves cardiovascular function
Significantly enhances people’s emotional state, mood and attitude, whilst alleviating anxiety and depression
Improves sleep quality
Decreases inflammation and boosts antioxidant actions
Add to this the enormous positive impact of trees on your mental wellbeing such as:
Spending time in nature boosts problem-solving ability and creativity by up to 50%
Taking in nature’s fractal patterns can cause a stress reduction of up to 60%
The good news is that you do not have to be in a forest to bathe in nature, in fact any green place including your local park or nature reserve will offer the same benefits of forest bathing. Consider leaving your mobile phone at home (or switch to “Do Not Disturb”) and take a 20 minute wander through your local green space as a starting point.
Walk slowly and create an intention to notice:
Your footsteps sinking into the earth, or even take off your shoes and practice some “earthing” allowing yourself to physical connect to the ground for electrical rebalancing
The soft hues of colour making their way towards you and the intricate patterns of a leaf
The ridges of a tree trunk against your hands
The sounds of any water, the local birdlife, the breeze moving through the trees as they shift and creak
The smells of the rich earth, the flowers in bloom (welcome spring!)
Forest bathing or spending time in local green spaces may be difficult for some but remember there are many ways to bring nature into your home such as:
Find hardy plants to bring life back into your home space.
Access forest sound recordings online to download and listen to
Bring your favourite forest scents to your diffuser - eucalyptus, lemon myrtle, pine as some to consider
Find a print that reminds you of your favourite place in nature and take time to reconnect with the positive memories that are evoked when you notice it
The longer you stay in a forest setting, the greater the benefits. This is one of the reasons we have created our our deep Forest Bathing Immersion session at the Redwood Forest. Join Leesa (Certified Forest Therapy Guide & Creative Arts Therapist) and Catherine (Trauma Counsellor, Ecotherapist & Sound Healer) for a truly remarkable immersion which offers you nature’s warm hug and the invitation to return to a sustainable nature fix in your life.