Forest Bathing
Dear One,
I completed my first guided forest bathing in April and now I can’t get enough of it. It has become my weekly self care ritual to submerge my total being in nature in hopes of reaping the health benefits discovered by scientists in Japan with the practice of Shinrin-Yoku. If you’ve never heard of forest therapy, let me tell you, it’s something that must be experienced. And no, you do not strip naked and run through the forest :). In layman’s terms, Shinrin-Yoku (which translates to forest bathing) is intentionally taking in nature with all of your senses. This practice is not to be confused with a leisure hike. In fact, you barely cover the trail span that a typical hike may entail; think tortoise versus hare type of situation, with forest bathing being the tortoise. Your intention is not racing, but mindfully engaging with everything along your path.
My very first experience with forest bathing left me feeling on cloud nine; literally, it felt like I had taken a natural psychedelic drug that allowed me to conquer my week. Despite prior research, I was still skeptical if my body would notice any effects. That’s why the very next weekend I tried replicating that experience; I wanted to determine if my first bath was a beginner’s luck situation or if forest bathing should become my new norm. Drum roll please. I believe I have found a new ritual. And it’s totally free! All I have to do is find a forest or nature preserve and commence to bathing. So that’s what I did and here’s what happened.
The therapeutic aspects of engrossing myself in nature seemed to last throughout my week. I felt calm, whole, connected and healed. I tried implementing the same practices that my guide conveyed the previous week, including taking slow, intentional and meditative movements, examining and engaging with nature’s Picasso, and escaping into the ecstasy of mother earth’s creation. It was beautiful. Immediately, my mood shifted to a more slower, conscious pace. I stopped several times to take in the exotic sounds, I found an area to meditate, and I even sipped the tea I prepared at home just as we did with the guide. The experience felt familiar; I was home.
Something about forest bathing felt detoxifying and surprisingly, almost immediately following my first and second forest baths, I felt completely exhausted. I thought it was a coincidence after the first bath and attributed the feeling to a lack of sleep the previous night; however, once I completed the second bath and became drained, it lead me to believe my body underwent some form of detoxification. Needless to say, I felt amazing during the bathing, but the after exhaustion was a little unexpected; however, I still welcomed that experience. Fortunately, as I continue ritualistically forest bathing, I notice I have not felt that depleted afterwards since those two experiences. Hopefully that means I have been detoxified.
Regardless, I am beyond grateful for experiencing forest bathing therapy and will continue returning home to myself and mother nature every chance I get. Should you find some time to do the same, may you find wholeness, gratitude and peace in that space.
Take Care,
Kris
Select here for more information on shinrin yoku’s origins, studies and benefits. Also, search here to find local forest therapy guides near your area.
