Whilst in a gnarly part of therapy, dealing with anger, my therapist asked if I’d ever heard of
Shinrin-yoku or ‘Forest Bathing’.
“Forest Bathing?”. “Yes, Forest Bathing. You’ll go into a forest and spend time there. it’s therapeutic”, and “it’s big in Japan” she said with enthusiasm.
“How will going into a forest stop me feeling angry?” (unless Mr Miyagi was there to teach me
how to crane kick a fool and give me a classic car? Doubtful)
“Maybe look into it more, because you just told me that you’ve always felt better after you’ve
walked your dogs in the woods near your house. There are studies and data associated with it,
seriously you should check it out.”
So we’re all on the same page, here are the 5 basic Forest Bathing steps:
- Go to a peaceful wooded area, where the only sounds will be from the natural world
- Make sure of your personal safety at all times. Tell someone where you’ll be and for how long
- Turn down digital distractions
- Get as comfy as you can. Sit, stand, you choose baby.
- Breathe it all in and enjoy the benefits
“This must be how hippies get started” was my internal dialogue en route to a nearby remote
wood, whilst wearing some ‘embarrassingly clean for the countryside’ wellies.
Turns out though, that I’m wrong. You keep your footwear on, and the benefits cannot be
dismissed as hokum, I can confidently herald, as a semi professional bather of Cornish forests.
The Japan National Tourism Organisation report the following health benefits of forest bathing,
following National studies:
“Forest bathing has become a vital part of preventative healthcare in Japan. Results show forest
bathing improves sleep quality, mood, ability to focus, and stress levels. Chronic stress can
contribute to the development of ailments like anxiety, depression, and insomnia, to name a
few. It can also contribute to physiological problems, like high blood pressure, muscle tension,
and lowered immune response.
Spending time in nature, away from modern technology and big cities can improve your physical
and mental health by reducing the effects of stress on your body. Prescribed forest bathing in
Japan has led to a healthier lifestyle for people of all ages.”
How do you think forest bathing became a medical prescription?
Apparently it was acceptable in the 80s…
What exactly was acceptable in the 80s? If I write the first answer to that question, this blog will
never get published…
Not caring too much about green space – that’s what was acceptable in the 1980’s. That and
cocaine. Apparently…
In Japan, it was being observed that living in cities was causing many people to experience
depression, distraction and physical body pain. Shinrin-yoku (Forest Bathing) was born as a
medical practice.
Makes sense to me. Cities are often ‘green poor’. Try finding a quiet spot in New York’s huge
Central Park. We’ve never successfully found any spot in NYC’s green spaces, which totally
drown out every honk, siren or overhead traffic noise.
Dr. Qing the President of the Society of Forest Medicine and author of the book ‘Forest Bathing
How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness’, estimates we spend 93 percent of our time
indoors. He identified a nature deficit disorder in society, which contributes to negative feelings
about life, but can be significantly improved by just a few hours of forest bathing.
…and it really does work, even for us cynical types who’ve avoided Tie-dye T-shirts and Bamboo
Birkenstocks.
To put Forest bathing into context, it’s as beneficial as meditation, which shouldn’t make sense.
After all, Forest bathing seems passive compared to meditation. Right guys?
Meditation is about letting thoughts go and finding peace from within. A modern day challenge
without noise cancelling headphones or enough cash for a 7 day upper class spa retreat. Cozzie
Living crisis strikes again.
Forest bathing is ‘Mindfulness’, which is an active awareness of our surroundings and personal
circumstances, we seek to acknowledge how we feel in these moments. Nature’s soundtrack
slows us down, cleaner forest air lets us breathe more deeply and, stress stored in our muscles
starts losing it’s vice-like grip on our shoulders. Peace loading…
Knowing how we feel seems like such a simple thing, but c’mon how often do you check in with
you?
I’m just as guilty of leaving me hanging too, which is why I really needed a therapeutic guide, and
sharing this gold feels like a pleasure responsibility.
I’ve used Calm and Headspace apps to attempt changing my state through mindfulness. It’s way
better than doing nothing, but it doesn’t bring nearly the same benefits as being there.
Here are 10 scientific reasons to give it a go:
- Shinrin-yoku increases human natural killer (NK) activity, the number of NK cells, and the
intracellular levels of anti-cancer proteins, suggesting a preventive effect on cancers. - Shinrin-yoku reduces blood pressure and heart rate showing preventive effect on hypertension and heart diseases.
- Shinrin-yoku reduces stress hormones, such as urinary adrenaline and noradrenaline and
salivary/serum cortisol contributing to stress management. - Shinrin-yoku increases the activity of parasympathetic nerves and reduces the activity of
sympathetic nerves to stabilise the balance of autonomic nervous system. - Shinrin-yoku improves sleep.
- Shinrin-yoku assists in balancing levels of the protein serum adiponectin (ACRP-30) and
hormone dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). When ACRP-30 is low it is associated with
conditions including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance and
metabolic syndrome. Low levels of DHEA-S are linked to diabetes, osteoporosis, dementia
and even erectile dysfunction. - Shinrin-yoku reduces the scores for anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion, and
increases the score for vigour, showing preventive effects on depression (In the Profile of Mood
States test). - Shinrin-yoku may apply to rehabilitation medicine.
- Shinrin-yoku practiced in City parks has benefits to human health and well-being.
- Shinrin-yoku may have preventive effect on COVID-19 by boosting immune function and by
reducing mental stress.
Taken together, these findings suggest that Shinrin-yoku may have potential preventive effects on
non-communicable diseases, which if you haven’t worked out yet, is more valuable than all your
material possessions.
Give it a go, who knows how close you are to curing your Nature Deficit Disorder…(watch out for
hippie’s though)
(Information taken from the 2022 Study: Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest
bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention — the Establishment of “Forest Medicine”)