It is a recommendation becoming more prevalent among the mainstream medical community. Don’t get me wrong, I am super excited to see it gaining traction! Just know…it is a practice that has been widely utilized by other countries and health fields long before Dr. Joe Schmoe, MD started raving about it on TV.
What am I talking about?
Forest bathing…nature prescriptions…ecotherapy…wilderness cure…green time…spending time outside in nature on a regular basis.
The practice of forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, took shape as a therapy in Japan in the 1980s as a way to help people enhance their health and wellbeing and find more joy in life.
Numerous studies have since been done showing the health and wellness benefits of spending time out in nature. Just a few of those benefits are:
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Exercise and movement: By spending time outside in nature every day, you are incorporating movement into your daily routine. This can be included in your daily movement for exercise. A body in motion tends to stay in motion, so keep moving!
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Increased VItamin D: Being out in the sun helps your body produce more Vitamin D. Vitamin D is such an important nutrient in that it can be a protective mechanism against osteoporosis, depression, and can even boost your immune system to aid in protection from viral or bacterial infections.
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Decreasing brain fog/increasing clarity and focus: Fresh air and green spaces have been shown to increase concentration and focus. So the next time you are feeling the brain fog at work, try taking a walk around the block outside, and see how much your productivity increases!
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Happier/better mood: Exposure to natural light has been proven to improve people’s moods and make them feel happier. That’s why the “happy light” has become so popular in places where there is decreased sunlight for longer stretches throughout the year.
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Decreased pain and stress: Along the same lines as above, natural light exposure has been shown to increase nitric oxide production, which decreases pain. And exposure to nature has been proven to decrease the stress response.
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Increased healing: By decreasing pain and stress, and inducing increased Vitamin D production and a happier mood, all of this lends itself to the body being more in a state of “rest and digest” when it has the ability to do it’s best healing.
Overall…spending time in nature leads to feeling better. As humans, we are creatures of nature…we need to appreciate that, respect it, and honor it.
So what is the best way to approach forest bathing?
Go slow…and use all your senses. Try to spend some intentional time outside every day – add it into your schedule or planner so that the time is intentionally dedicated to experiencing the outdoors and nature.
Listen to all the sounds of nature – close your eyes so that you can really hear deeply all of the different sounds. Inhale deeply, notice what you smell. Can you smell fresh rain? Flowers? The salt spray of the ocean?
Now open your eyes, and notice all the colors in nature. Appreciate how much more vibrant they are through your eyes, versus through a screen.
Feel the ground beneath your feet – better yet, take off your shoes and socks and engage in some barefoot walking to feel the grass and the dirt between your toes. Feel the rain on your face, and the breeze on your skin or in your hair.
The healing power of nature is one of the core tenets of Naturopathic Medicine. Forest bathing is just one way to incorporate that into your daily routine. I encourage you to give it a try!