it’s not just a walk in the woods- it’s about being in the moment and engaging the senses.
My gal pal Debra Lew Harder told me Forest Bathing is a Japanese term for nature therapy which started in 1982 and is sometimes referred to as ecotherapy. Forest bathing describes a broad group of techniques or treatments with the intention of improving an individual’s mental or physical health, specifically with an individual’s presence within nature or outdoor surroundings. Using all of the senses you can take all the forest by going slow and stopping to take note of such spectacles as spider webs or listening to the birds chirping in the canopy above. It is a health care practice in Japanese medicine prescribes to lower blood pressure and raise immunity. Imagine enjoying a bath in the woods surrounded by the sound of trickling streams, the feel of soft luscious moss and fragrant smells of wild-flowers. Forest bathers are even invited to hug trees!
