Can Forest Bathing Save the World?
Use our guide to find out how we can heal ourselves and our planet with intentional time spent outside with Mother Nature.
Forest Bathing at Mill Creek Resort
On some level, we’ve always known that spending time outside makes us feel better. More positive, lighter, less stressed, and worry-free. It’s like that saying, “even a bad day in the woods is better than a good day at work.” Maybe you’re the type to save caterpillars from the trail, get a little too excited when you find a new wildflower, or even go as far as hugging trees and trying to “talk” to the wildlife. Getting outside is essential to our happiness. We hike, garden, swim, ski, stargaze, go bird watching or mushroom hunting. Or maybe we simply like to go for walks around the block or work from the patio. And we all know everything tastes better when eating outside. But what is it that makes us crave being unconfined by walls and feeling the air on our skin and the sun on our shoulders? Was there a time in your life when you were left completely in awe by a sunset, the beauty of a wildflower, or the grandness of a gigantic, sprawling tree?
We all know trees produce the oxygen we need to breathe. But what exactly else is happening when we’re exposed to forest bathing that provides such positive effects? What is it about nature that made John Muir make such a profound statement as, “The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness”?
Thanks to science, we may now know why forest bathing is crucial to our health and overall sense of well-being.
The term ‘Forest Bathing” or Shinrin Yoku was coined by Tomohide Akiyama, the director general of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in 1982 to combat the ill effects caused by our collective disconnect to nature and to protect the country’s diminishing green spaces. Shinrin Yoku is now a prescribed therapy in Japan, and 62 of its forests are certified as therapy forests with on-site medical providers. (BRB- booking flight to Japan)
Here are some ways in which forest bathing can improve our health. These were studied and proven by Dr. Quin Li, the doctor who has pioneered the practice of forest bathing:
Reduce stress and decrease cortisol levels
Reduce blood pressure
Improve mood
Increase ability to focus, even in children with ADHD
Accelerate recovery from surgery or illness
Increase energy levels
Improve sleep
Boost immune system functioning with an increase in the count of the body’s Natural Killer (NK) cells
Makes people feel more generous, compassionate, and more connected to the world around them
Photo by Sebastian Unrau on Unsplash
Trees harbor a massive amount of energy in themselves. And the bigger the tree, the more energy.
And each tree creates its own bioenergetic landscape. The electromagnetic field and frequencies that a tree produces have a strong resemblance to the human energetic properties, and the frequencies are in resonance with our organs. Hugging a tree directly grounds you to the earth's energy and the energy of the tree. Electrical lines, cell, and wifi signals all disrupt these energetic fields. Remember to turn your phones to ‘airplane mode’ before beginning your ceremony!
And found to be even more beneficial to our health is the massive amounts of negative ions that trees produce. Negative ions are also created in rushing water such as waterfalls or crashing waves. Negative ions are absorbed into your bloodstream by respiration and through your skin and have a positive effect on the body by boosting the production of serotonin and improving mood. It also promotes alpha brain waves and increases brain wave amplitude creating a calm and clear mind. Positive ions, as you guessed, are the opposite. Positive ions are absorbed and transformed into free radicals that can give rise to the oxidation process and accelerate aging and cellular degeneration. An imbalance of too many positive ions in our atmosphere, prevalent in modern life, can weaken the immune system, cause sleep disturbances, and accentuate stress disorders.
When we‘re walking through the forest, we are also breathing in all the essential oils or phytoncides that plants and trees emanate to communicate with other plants, trees, bugs, and wildlife. These phytoncides are extremely beneficial to the human body as we have also evolved to use these plant chemicals. I can bet we’ve all used aromatherapy or essential oils for one reason or another, and forest bathing is the earliest version of this type of plant medicine. It’s what we smell when we’re in the woods, hundreds of different monoterpenes suspended in the air we breathe.
Also being absorbed into the body is the microbiome of the earth. Billions of life forms live invisibly underneath our feet and play huge roles in our immune system and gut health. Nowadays, we live in such a clean environment that we miss out on exposing ourselves to this helpful bacteria.
Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash
There is no wrong way to Forest Bathe, and it can be done anywhere there’s ample green space.
Even in a park or your own backyard. Keeping houseplants or tending a garden are other great ways to connect with the green world and improve health. Connecting with nature is actually very instinctual if given the time and space to nourish the relationship. A fun fact is that the human eye can “see” or detect more shades of green than any other color. Up until the last few hundred years, humans had a much closer relationship with nature and plants, and the loss of that relationship has had a huge impact on human health. Most people are completely detached from the outdoors and nature; plant medicine, moon cycles, the stars, patterns, seasons, and so much more are a complete mystery to us. But there will always be people who are called on to protect these wisdoms and keep them alive.
Approach your Forest Bathing ceremonies with child-like curiosity, wonder, and playfulness. Don’t be afraid to take off your shoes for the full experience. If you don’t want to walk barefoot, I encourage you to take off your shoes during your meditation to ground with the earth’s energy fully. As Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Walk as if you’re kissing the earth with your feet.” Absorb the free electrons from the earth and release toxic free radicals that stress our bodies. Get a little dirty and benefit from direct contact with that soil microbiome we were talking about. See what you can learn from the hundreds of thousands of nerve ending in the bottom of your feet as you walk barefoot. Cultivate that strong tree energy and feel it travel up through your body and through the crown of your head.
Show your gratitude to the forest. Thank the trees and plants for providing us oxygen to breathe, for shade, for the habitats it offers to all the critters, and for the medicine from their leaves, roots, bark, and flowers. Thank the trees for providing their energy in the form of firewood to heat our homes and lumber needed for building. Pray for the continued health of the forest and for your own safety as you participate in the ceremony.
To begin your personal forest bathing journey, wander through the forest and find a tree that’s calling you.
Ask the tree’s permission to be of service and help guide this meditation. Hug the tree and really connect with its energy. Think about all the years the tree has seen come and go. All the obstacles overcome to grow strong and healthy. Think about its grandmother trees long gone, blown or burnt down. Look around at all of its baby trees. Send loving, positive energy into the tree, and you will receive the same love and positivity back 10-fold.
Sit at the base of the tree with your back leaning against the trunk. Get comfortable and take a few deep breaths and settle in. Take 3-5 minutes per sense.
Close your eyes. Start to pay attention to everything you can externally feel. The ground beneath your bum, the tree against your back, the sun on your skin, the breeze through your hair.
Now listen to everything you can hear. Birds chirping, chipmunks chattering, and the leaves rustling.
Start taking big deep breaths through your nose and try to pick out different smells. What does it remind you of, or what feels familiar?
Open your eyes and focus on the ground around you. Move upwards to your immediate surrounding. Move further upwards to the trees in the distance. Next, take your gaze out as far as it can go to the horizon. Lastly, lean back and star up the trunk of the tree, through the branches, and then beyond to the sky and clouds.
You’ve now created a place to go during stressful or anxious moments in the future to find peace. Imprint this place and feeling in memory and use it as an escape pod to transport yourself somewhere safe. Think about how you’re feeling today and if this exercise has brought up any emotions. Think about the ways in which you could be more like a tree or plant. Remind yourself that the more you love yourself, the more you can love Mother Earth and visa-versa. We are Nature, so how we treat ourselves is how we treat the earth and one another. When we step into the forest, thoughts of “never enoughness” and self-critique dissolve. When we connect to the big web of life, we realize that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves. We’re able to see that we’re not competing with each other but working together, united by our common home on earth. Be grateful for your body and all it does for you and allows you to walk around on this earth, swim in its oceans, smell its flowers, hear the birds sing, and taste its flavors. A flower does not compare itself to the flower next to it when it blooms, and a tree doesn’t worry about how big its trunk is.
The next ritual will be using cadoptosis, the process trees use to self-prune or drop branches.
Trees do this to branches to get rid of disease or a drain of resources. Think about something in your life that no longer serves you that you could prune away. Find a stick and hold it while you bring awareness to things that you worry or feel anxious about. Think about things you want to shed; negative beliefs, old thought patterns, bad habits, anger, resentment, or regret. Spend several minutes dumping this negative energy into this stick. And when you’ve got it all out, drop this stick to the ground and let mother nature take it from you. She is strong and can handle anything you can no longer hold.
Next, find a sacred object like a rock, pinecone, or stick and use this object as a vessel to manifest your desires.
Hold it while you envision everything you want in life, whether it’s success, health, love, or whatever. Imagine how you would feel if you already had all of the things you want. Picture it as if it is already so. Carry this object with you or place it somewhere in your home to connect with often.
This last portion of your forest bath is time for reflection.
You may write in your journal, chant, pray, meditate, create art, or compose a poem. Take some stretches or complete a few sun salutations. Thank the forest and the trees for sharing her knowledge and beauty, keeping you safe, bringing you peace, health, and inspiration, and providing shade, energy, oxygen, and habitat.
The Adventure Awaits Trail at Mill Creek Resort is a great place to experience forest bathing.
We’re excited for you to take this adventure and find out what you learn about yourself and the world around you. Use this free download to print a guide to go. And don’t forget to make a few copies for friends or share this blog with them! You’ll also find copies in all of our cabins for our guests to make the most out of their time spent at Mill Creek Resort.
Now go hug a tree!