Marielle Segarra hosts the show Life Kit on NPR and Philadelphia native, recently revisited the topic of forest bathing. For those unfamiliar with this, it is the act of spending time in the forest in what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, a term originating in the 1980s that means “bathing in the forest atmosphere.” Qing Li, a researcher on this topic and a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, says that “This is not exercise or hiking or jogging, it is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our sense of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.”
Not only is “forest bathing” a magical way to explore nature, decades of research has shown that it’s good for your health. It can boost your immune system, lower blood pressure and help with depression. It can also reduce the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and turn down the dial on your body’s fight-or-flight response.
You can read Segarra’s full piece at https://www.npr.org/2023/08/22/1195337204/a-guide-to-forest-bathing, and a starters guided is offered below.
1. Find a location where you’re surrounded by trees – The ideal place to forest bathe is well, in a forest. But if you live far away from one or don’t have the means to get there, any place that has a lot of trees and quiet spaces will do.
2. Set aside a good chunk of time – To reap the ultimate rewards of shinrin-yoku, plan to spend two to six hours in the woods, says Li. A 2019 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that walking just 15 minutes through the woods can help relieve stress and anxiety.
3. Aim to reduce heart rate – Your forest bathing session is a good time to sit or walk or do some gentle yoga or tai chi. It’s not the time to squeeze in your hardcore cardio for the week.
4. Breathe in the scents of the forest – Many of the benefits of shinrin-yoku come when we inhale the chemicals that trees release into the air, called phytoncides, says Li. They can reduce our stress hormones and increase our levels of white-blood cells known as natural killer cells, according to his research. In one study from 2009, his team ordered special concentrated essential oils made from Japanese cypress trees and then pumped them into the hotel rooms of test subjects using a diffuser. The people staying in those rooms saw about 40 to 50% of the health benefits as those who did a forest bathing session.
5. Bolster your forest bath with meditation – When you get to the forest or the park, walk a little bit and then find a spot that speaks to you. Now sit down, says Evans, and try this exercise. “Inhale for a count of one, two and then exhale for double the length of time, so it’s one, two, three, four. Then keep that going.” “When the exhale is slower than the inhale, it sends a physiological message to your body that says: ‘I’m safe. I can relax. It’s OK,’ ” he adds.