A few days ago, I came across that article online and thought to myself: wow, this is something we have been doing for years in my family, without knowing it had a name... and I have been teaching it to my kid now as a parent too. Way beyond the fact nature, forests, trees are important, there are actually real clinical benefits to walk in forests... In Poland, we cannot live without our forests.. It is part of our DNA. What became now a "trend" seems to be a way of life in Japan and Poland....
But so what is Shinrin-Yoku then? It is a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. I enclose a fantastic video of 3 minutes that will give you the main lines of that art.
There are 5 steps to perform the best forest bathing:
Step 1 – leave behind your phone, camera or any other distractions, so that you can be fully present in the experience.
Step 2 – Leave behind your goals and expectations. Wander aimlessly, allowing your body to take you wherever it wants.
Step 3 – Pause from time to time, to look more closely at a leaf or notice the sensation of the path beneath your feet.
Step 4 – Find a comfy spot to take a seat and listen to the sounds around you. See how the behaviour of the birds and other animals changes when they become used to your presence.
Step 5 – If you go with others, make an agreement to resist talking until the end of the walk, when you could gather to share your experiences.
So next time you visit a forest near you, try to follow most of those 5 steps and share with me how did you feel after your forest bathing. And join me in the eternal defense of trees and forest locally but in the world too!
Happy week my friends!
A bientot,
Urszula x
Sources:
www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/the-science-of-forest-bathing
www.treesforlife.org.uk/blogs/article/shinrin-yoku-and-slowing-down-in-the-forestwww.growwilduk.com/blog/2015/12/03/5-simple-steps-practising-shinrin-yoku-forest-bathing
www.growwilduk.com/blog/2015/12/03/5-simple-steps-practising-shinrin-yoku-forest-bathing