A Natural Therapy: Forest Bathing

Let's talk about Forest Bathing …It's a rejuvenating practice of walking and relaxing in nature amongst the trees to restore your health and calm. Really, it is probably our oldest lifestyle therapy - our ancestors lived out in nature so we naturally feel more at home where we can reconnect and restore our physical and emotional balance.

Picture this: a slow stroll through a forest, taking your time, breathing in smells of trees and plants, listening to birds chirp and feeling the breeze.

Unlike a typical hike where you might focus on spotting wildlife or reaching a destination, forest therapy is about being present. It's not just a walk - it's not just exercise. It's an opportunity to reconnect deeply with nature, aware of yourself and your surroundings.

What's the Deal with Forest Bathing?

Born in Japan in the '80s to counter a wave of stress-related health issues, forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku, was developed to help people who were burned out by tech and urban/industrial life.

Certified forest bathing guides are trained in Japan to lead a group at a gentle pace through designated trails around the world, setting a relaxed pace and encouraging you to savor the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. It's meant to ground you in the moment, with awareness directed to present surroundings. It's like a reset button for your body and mind, especially when you've been stuck indoors so much (looking at you, post-pandemic life).

In my opinion, one can understand what one is aiming for with forest bathing, and do this yourself, as a family, or with friends who are also on board with the purpose. It may be that you do not have to be timid about your relationship with nature, and can achieve a most satisfying state following your own design, rather than following a guide's pattern that may or may not resonate with yours. (Make an informed choice of your guide, if you use one.)

Forest bathing also aligns well with grounding or earthing which can be integrated into your experience, along with staying well-hydrated.

The Health Benefits of Forest Bathing? The research is solid.

Long-term stress and the resulting chronic high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) play a role in high blood pressure, heart disease, headaches, and many other ailments. Research indicates that forest bathing can improve cardiovascular function, immune responses, and reduce stress levels.

Numerous studies show, that especially when done on a regular basis, Forest Bathing can:

• Lower stress: It reduces cortisol (the stress hormone). In test subjects, levels of cortisol decreased after walking in the forest, compared with people who walked in a gymnasium setting.


• Improve your heart health:Research indicates better blood flow, lower blood pressure and better cardiovascular function.


• Strengthen immunity: Forest bathing can increase natural killer cell activity and even express anti-cancer proteins, potentially helping prevent serious illnesses. In fact, breating in the substances that trees produce to protect themselves, ramps up our own immune systems, too.


• Lift your mood: You can probably remember feeling happier after spending time out in nature. It's also especially helpful for those with depressive tendencies, improving mental clarity and emotional well-being.


• Rebalance your nervous system: It raises parasympathetic (calming) activity and dials down stress-driven sympathetic (fight-or-flight) responses.

In short, forest bathing is a low-cost, very pleasant natural prescription for feeling better-physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Whether you're craving a break from screens or just want to refuel with energy for your life, this practice invites you to unplug and let nature do its thing. So, if you can find a forest or urban green park nearby, why not give it a try? Your body and soul will thank you!

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If you want to know more about Forest Bathing, read on:

An Interesting History - how did the government of Japan decide to offer forest bathing to its citizens who were being devastated by technostress?

This excerpt from a study done in 2022 gives some background:

In 1984, the word 'technostress' was coined to describe unhealthy behaviour around new technology. Technostress can arise from all manner of everyday usage, like checking your phone constantly, compulsively sharing updates and feeling that you need to be continually connected. Symptoms run from anxiety, headaches, depression, mental fatigue, eye and neck strain to insomnia, frustration, irritability and loss of temper.

Since the year 2000, we have officially become an urban species. … By 2050, 75% of the world's projected 9 billion population will live in cities.

In Japan…, more than half of deaths are attributed to non-communicable diseases. … Stress can induce almost all non-communicable diseases, such as cancers, hypertension, depression, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, gastric ulcer, obesity, alcoholism, panic disorder, eating disorder.

Therefore, the health management of workers, especially in relation to stress-related diseases, has become a major social issue and an effective new method for prevention of diseases is needed. … It is urgent to establish preventive measures against stress and non-communicable diseases . …

The forest environment has long been enjoyed for its quiet atmosphere, beautiful scenery, calm climate, clean fresh air and special good smell. …[By experience] forest environments may reduce stress and have a relaxing effect; therefore, walking in forest parks may have beneficial effects on human health.

Based on the above background, in Japan, a national health programme for Forest-bathing or Shinrin-yoku began to be introduced in 1982 by the Forest Agency of Japan for the stress management of workers in Japan.

Shinrin-yoku is also a short leisurely visit to a forest field, which is similar in effect to natural aromatherapy, for the purpose of relaxation and the breathing in of volatile substances called phytoncides (wood essential oils) derived from plants (trees), such as alpha-pinene and limonene.

Because forests occupy 67% of the land in Japan, Shinrin-yoku is easily accessible. It has become a recognized relaxation and/or stress management activity in Japan. Shinrin-yoku as a method of preventing diseases and promoting health [has become] a focus of public attention.

The full study is available to read here , "Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention - the Establishment of "Forest Medicine" by Li Q. published in Environmental Health & Preventative Medicine,

We are not medical doctors and this is not Japan, but overall, these studies suggest that forest bathing as a practice may be very beneficial for enhanced overall health and well-being.

More Forest Bathing Studies:

Song C, Ikei H, Miyazaki Y. Physiological Effects of Nature Therapy: A Review of the Research in Japan. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016 Aug 3;13(8):781. doi: 10.3390/ijerph13080781. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4997467/

Ideno Y, Hayashi K, Abe Y, Ueda K, Iso H, Noda M, Lee JS, Suzuki S. Blood pressure-lowering effect of Shinrin-yoku (Forest bathing): a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Aug 16;17(1):409. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1912-z. PMID: 28814305; PMCID: PMC5559777. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5559777/

Li Q, Morimoto K, Kobayashi M, Inagaki H, Katsumata M, Hirata Y, et al. Visiting a forest, but not a city, increases human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer proteins. Int J Immunopath Ph. 2008;21(1):117-27. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/039463200802100113

Wen, Y., Yan, Q., Pan, Y. et al. Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku): a systematic review. Environ Health Prev Med 24, 70 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-019-0822-8

Shin YK, Kim DJ, Jung-Choi K, Son YJ, Koo JW, Min JA, et al. Differences of psychological effects between meditative and athletic walking in a forest and gymnasium. Scand J Forest Res. 2013;28(1):64-72. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02827581.2012.706634

Antonelli M, Barbieri G, Donelli D. Effects of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) on levels of cortisol as a stress biomarker: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Biometeorol. 2019 Aug;63(8):1117-1134. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31001682/

Li Q, Kobayashi M, Wakayama Y, Inagaki H, Katsumata M, Hirata Y, et al. Effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell function. Int J Immunopath Pharmacol. 2009;22(4):951-9. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/039463200902200410

Morita E, Fukuda S, Nagano J, Hamajima N, Yamamoto H, Iwai Y, Nakashima T, Ohira H, Shirakawa T. Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction. Public Health. 2007 Jan;121(1):54-63. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2006.05.024. Epub 2006 Oct 20. PMID: 17055544. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17055544/

Yau KK, Loke AY. Effects of forest bathing on pre-hypertensive and hypertensive adults: a review of the literature. Environ Health Prev Med. 2020 Jun 22;25(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s12199-020-00856-7. PMID: 32571202; PMCID: PMC7310560. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32571202/

Kotera Y, Rhodes C. Commentary: Suggesting Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) for treating addiction. Addict Behav. 2020 Dec;111:106556. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106556. Epub 2020 Jul 15. PMID: 32745943. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32745943/

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