Shinrin-yoku is such a simple concept at first that it's almost funny that it has a name. However, there is great power in its sheer simplicity. Shinrin-yoku was coined in the 1980s by the Japanese Forestry Agency to encourage citizens to spend more time in nature. From the Japanese, it translates to "forest bathing."
This doesn't mean taking a bath in the woods, which also sounds wonderful, but immersing yourself in the forest and allowing your senses to soak it in. Practicing it means spending time in the forest without an agenda (no reaching the summit in under two hours, no tracking your 10,000th step) outside of consciously slowing and taking in your surroundings — fresh air, sunlight, sights, smells, sounds — and making contact with the soil, the trees, the plants, and as corny as it might sound, your own self and the human/animal friends who might be with you.
There's a lot of power in giving something a name, I've realized. This is a common tool with anxiety and other mood disorders, like this shero who named her anxiety Clive. Now that forest bathing's been given a name, after years of being practiced namelessly, it's become a concept we can more easily talk about and appreciate — and that can be studied by researchers and proven as a true benefit to our wellness.
In studies, shinrin-yoku has shown incredible effectiveness for lowering heart rate, lowering stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline), strengthening the immune system, boosting NK (natural killer) cell activity, improving mood, and reducing chronic stress. Some of these beneficial effects have be found to last up to 7 days. And interestingly, some are attributed to natural essential oils emitted by trees, called phytoncides, meaning that breathing in and hugging trees is actually healing.
Psychological effects of forest environments on healthy adults: Shinrin-yoku (forest-air bathing, walking) as a possible method of stress reduction (2007): “...forest environments are advantageous with respect to acute emotions, especially among those experiencing chronic stress. Accordingly, shinrin-yoku may be employed as a stress reduction method, and forest environments can be viewed as therapeutic landscapes. Therefore, customary shinrin-yoku may help to decrease the risk of psychosocial stress-related diseases, and evaluation of the long-term effects of shinrin-yoku is warranted.”
Effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell function (2009) “We previously reported that the forest environment enhanced human natural killer (NK) cell activity, the number of NK cells, and intracellular anti-cancer proteins in lymphocytes, and that the increased NK activity lasted for more than 7 days after trips to forests both in male and female subjects. To explore the factors in the forest environment that activated human NK cells, in the present study we investigate the effect of essential oils from trees on human immune function...Phytoncide exposure significantly increased NK activity and the percentages of NK, perforin, granulysin, and granzyme A/B-expressing cells, and significantly decreased the percentage of T cells, and the concentrations of adrenaline and noradrenaline in urine. Phytoncides, such as alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, were detected in the hotel room air. These findings indicate that phytoncide exposure and decreased stress hormone levels may partially contribute to increased NK activity."
Forest bathing also has close ties to the concept of "grounding" or "earthing," which is essentially the practice of putting your bare skin in contact with the earth to reduce pain and improve immune function, like taking a half hour every day to walk barefoot in the grass. This also sounds too simple to be effective, but it has some incredible implications for health.
Evidence of grounding / EARTHING's health benefits
The effects of grounding (earthing) on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (2015): "Accumulating experiences and research on earthing, or grounding, point to the emergence of a simple, natural, and accessible health strategy against chronic inflammation, warranting the serious attention of clinicians and researchers. The living matrix (or ground regulation or tissue tensegrity-matrix system), the very fabric of the body, appears to serve as one of our primary antioxidant defense systems. As this report explains, it is a system requiring occasional recharging by conductive contact with the Earth’s surface – the “battery” for all planetary life – to be optimally effective."
BREEZE HOLISTIC will soon be offering solo and group forest bathing trips here in New England. If you're interested in joining, please email me so I can keep you informed.
