A simple Forest Bathing practice

My personal way of connecting to nature on a daily basis

Are you familiar with the term ‘forest bathing’? It is translated from the phrase ‘Shinrin-yoku’ which was coined in Japan in 1982 and it means not to literally take a bath as we know it, but to bathe in your environment and start to notice nature up close.

I personally learnt the term around 5 years ago and then went on a course to start learning how to become a Forest Bathing practitioner. I haven’t embraced that part quite yet, but I do use the practice daily for myself and my own personal wellbeing.

There are countless benefits to being in nature that you’re probably already aware of, but the ones that are right at the top for me are a heightened sense of calm, accessing your parasympathetic nervous system, lowering your blood pressure, and an increase in natural killer cells which fight tumours & infection.

If it is possible for you to spend just 15 minutes in nature, you will be able to access these benefits too. However, I believe it is how you spend that time in nature which will benefit you even further.

I have two little dogs and regularly walk with friends who also have dogs. Our time together walking through the woods is normally full of conversation, occasionally hurried due to work commitments and there isn’t usually time spent looking up, down or around. This is a walk, not a bathe.

A walk in itself has enormous benefits - time with friends is never wasted and breathing in fresh air and engaging in exercise are vital for our wellbeing.

Taking it to the next level however, and actually engaging in Forest Bathing, is where the real benefits start to take hold. So I thought I’d share with you a little bit of my daily practice in the hope it will be accessible for you too. I’ll even add some prompts for you to ponder on when you are next in the woods (or your own chosen nature home).

For longer practices I don’t take my dogs, and for this kind of short daily fix I find I can practice it while I am walking the dogs - but it does need to be on my own. Forest bathing for me is a solitary practice currently. I would love to take groups of friends out with me to share my practice - but I need to feel a little braver for that. Watch this space…

Wander often, wonder always, especially among the whispering trees

After entering the woods it takes me around 5-10 minutes to consciously slow down. You may find it takes a little longer or you may be able to switch off sooner, but I would allow some time to settle into your environment and start to relax.

Notice how fast you are walking and take it down a pace or two. An ‘amble’ is how I like to describe it. Take some slow and deep breaths (ideally in and out through the nose) and feel how that breath enters and leaves your body. Walk gently for a while, noticing your breath and how your body is moving. How it feels. Notice if you have any tension and if you can breathe into that. Come into yourself in whichever way feels natural to you.

All the while, looking around at where you are. Start to bring your awareness to what you can see, hear, smell and touch.

Stroke that moss that is covering the bark on that tree.

Look up and see how the light darts through the branches.

What kind of tree is this?

What does the moss feel like?

Can you see anything moving in the moss?

Notice the contrast of moss against the bark.

See the colours on the bark and how they change as the light moves.

What can you hear?

Are the birds loud, or are they muffled by the canopy?

Is the wind strong?

Is the mud under your feet squelching or is the path dusty and dry?

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. – John Muir

Once I start to ‘land’ in my environment around me after my initial 5-10 minutes, these practices become automatic. As I walk along I let my arms hang and allow my hands to brush against the leaves and bushes that line the path. If there is morning dew I catch it on my fingers. I taste it. I pick up a pine cone and smell it. I hold it with me as I walk and I feel the texture in my hand. It brings me closer to the world around me.

I look up to the sky and see clouds moving. If I stand still long enough they change shape and I see the birds crossing their path. I see the tops of the trees swaying and I watch for a while. All the while holding my pine cone, or my feather, or my leaf, twirling it around in my hand.

If your mind starts to wander to other things, that’s ok. Life is busy and we all have challenges at the forefront of our minds. I remedy this by getting close into the forest floor. Crouch down and see what is living there. If your dogs are like mine, they’ll come and sniff around your feet and look up expectantly.

Touch the earth and smell the remnants of it on your fingertips.

What memories does that evoke?

How is your body feeling?

What has happened to your breath?

If you close your eyes, do your other senses increase?

You’ll notice that the more you do this, the slower the breathing becomes and the fuller the body feels. There is a steadiness and a grounding that settles within you. And the more you do this, the easier it will be to access that steadiness and groundedness when confronted with challenging situations outside of the woods. Like with all mindfulness - practicing regularly when not activated means that when your nervous system goes into fight or flight, somewhere deep inside you have the tools to ease it.

You don’t even have to walk very far. Because your pace is slow, you’ll find that in the time you spend outside you don’t actually cover much ground - but it’s not the distance we’re interested in here, it’s the impact it has on your body and mind.

There’s nothing to achieve or accomplish on your forest bathe, you don’t have to come home with any epiphanies or answers. The only purpose of a forest bathe is to be present and to notice. To be in your body and to experience the natural world around you.

I usually spend around 30-40 minutes on my morning walk and 20 on my evening stroll. Some days are more immersed than others, some days I can’t switch off for long and some days I don't feel the benefits in the same way. It doesn’t matter, because I am always calmer for it regardless.

When you start to return home, think about what you can take with you from your time with the trees. How can you try to bring that sense of stillness into the rest of your day?

Slowly walking back, I tend to place my hand on my heart and thank the trees for the unconditional love they always give me. You can show thanks in your own way - but one thing I have learnt is that our gratitude for nature is never wasted.

Every day I am shown something new. Every day I am taught a lesson.

Every day I walk the same woods, but they are different each time. As am I.

Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world - John Muir

I hope this is useful and has made you curious about how you can bring this into your life if you don’t already. And if you do, I would love to hear about your practice. Please do share how you bathe.