Join us on May 1st at Viestenz-Smith Mountain Park, Loveland Colorado
Forest bathing is about slowing down within the natural environment through taking calm, silent, sensory walks and observing nature. In essence, we are bathing in the air of the forest and taking it in through our senses.
This practice, which originated in Japan, is called shinrin-yoku (literally, "forest bath").
These volatile organic compounds, also called phytoncides, are produced by plants for communication and defense against predators and infection.
When our senses are turned on, it encourages our bodies to "re-calibrate" and take in the natural occurring compounds produced by the forest.
These naturally occurring compounds, such as camphene, limonene, myrcene and pinene have been found to have many beneficial properties and have been used in both conventional and complementary therapies.
You may be more familiar with these compounds as they are found in essential oils.
Studies into the effects of forest bathing have found that it can help to normalize blood pressure and blood sugar, reduce cortisol levels, decrease anxiety, improve mood and sleep, and boost the immune system.
We use mindfulness and meditation techniques to activate our parasympathetic nervous system and invite our senses of smell, touch, vision, and hearing to join our walk.
Dr Li of the Nippon Medical School understands the historic Japanese practice of spending mindful time in the forest is beneficial for body and mind.
Shinrin-yoku is now offered as an alternative within the Japanese health system as a preventative medicine.
