Shinrin-Yoku: Forest Air Bathing

Shinrin-Yoku is the practice of forest air bathing. The Japanese term essentially translates to the “forest bathing”, or being amongst the trees. This can be as simple as spending time by a tree in your backyard, walking through the forest, or sitting by your favourite tree in a park near you.

Studies have recently shown the benefits of forest bathing as a practice as well. Forest bathing has been shown to help increase our natural killer cells (NK cells), which help fight infection and cancer formation. It also decreases our cortisol (stress hormone) levels, lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and increases our parasympathetic state (our relaxation state). This effect is even seen days to weeks after being in the forest.

“Throughout our evolution, we’ve spend 99.9% of our time in nature, thus our physiological functions are still adapted to it. During everyday life, a feeling of comfort can be achieved if our rhythms are synchronized with those of the environment.”

- Yoshifumi Miyazaki

While most of us are used to living sedentary lifestyles in front of our screens, the practice of shinrin-yoku invites us to use all of our senses to experience the environment in a new way. It invites us to get outside and play! And while we may be used to walking through the trails, this practice invites us to slow down, smell and touch the leaves, and watch how the sunrays shine through the branches. This can essentially act as a moving meditative practice that helps us stay grounded in the present moment.

Next time you find yourself walking the dog or jogging through your favourite trail, maybe take a moment to slow down and really breathe into the moment and notice the subtle shifts in the seasons.