Andy Torbet compares a rediscovered wellness vogue to the experience of snorkelling against a backdrop of aquatic plant life
TORBET ON THE TUBE
A Forest
Andy Torbet compares a rediscovered wellness vogue to the experience of snorkelling against a backdrop of aquatic plant life
There is an ancient Japanese practice which has gained notoriety and popularity in recent years – Shinrin Yoku , or tree bathing . The practice , also known as Forest Bathing consists , basically , of relaxing under a tree . For me ,
68 sitting under trees seems like something humans have been doing since they first climbed down from one . Although the Japanese have a formal name for this therapeutic pastime they have also carried out medical studies , supported by others internationally , that show real , trackable data from tree-bathers . This data shows physical benefits such as increased immune response , decrease in stress-hormones and more rapid recovery from illness .
I had planned to write this month ’ s column about a trip to a small , secluded lake near my home . I had planned to investigate the un-dived , shallow waters and report back on my discoveries . As it was , the lake did not furnish me with the Maldivian visibility , nor temperature despite the rather un-British blue skies and sun . And as I finned around the edge , my snorkel clipping the overhanging branch of trees forming their own islands in the waters , it struck me that we , as snorkellers and divers , may have our own branch of Shinrin Yoku .
Above me were the trees , while below there was a little forest of freshwater plants , stretching for the sunlight at the surface , just like their terrestrial cousins .
I also wondered , since there was little else to see underwater , what else we