Forest Bathing:
Tap into the Healing Power
of the Woods
T e x t B y J u d y B e a u d e tt e
P hotos
I
by
f someone offered you a pill that would make
you feel more optimistic and peaceful, would
you take it? And suppose this medicine was
free and had no side effects. Sound too good to
be true? But wait—there’s more! Robust scien-
tific studies show that this “pill” can lower blood
pressure. Boost mental clarity. Even increase the
number of killer cells your body produces—and
by killer cells we mean specialized white blood
cells in our immune systems that fight cancer.
Believe it or not, a growing body of research
shows that this healing medicine does exist.
It’s called forest bathing. And this increasingly
popular activity is available to anyone with access
to a slice of nature, even a very small slice.
N i a l l D u nn e
What Is Forest Bathing Anyway?
First, it’s not a bath per se.
The term comes from the Japanese practice of
Shinrin-yoku, which translates to “taking in the
forest atmosphere” or, literally, “forest bathing.”
Forest bathing, quite simply, means wandering
quietly among the trees, turning up the volume on
your senses, and immersing yourself in nature.
And while we’re at it, two more things it is NOT.
A forest bathing walk is not a natural history
lesson. You’re not there to identify native plants,
understand ecosystems, or share the land’s
history; at least these are not primary goals. The
“knowledge acquisition” part of your brain is
invaluable, for sure, but forest bathing is a
Summer 2019 v 3