04 October, 2024
Kinniconick Creek, Lewis County, Kentucky
What is Shinrin-Yoku?
I wrote my first post about it back in 2016 on my old blog. I'm happy to say that today I see the term, and hopefully the practice, coming more and more into mainstream culture. I've been doing it all my life, though I didn't know the name for it, or the scientific evidence that proves its benefits.
Shinrin Yoku is a Japanese phrase that translates as "forest bathing." Also called "forest medicine" and "forest therapy", shinrin yoku has been promoted by the Forest Agency of the Japanese government since 1982. After a huge 'tech boom' and the resulting burnout, they were experiencing record levels of depression in Japan. Since then, studies have shown both physical and mental health benefits similar to those associated with meditation and mindfulness techniques.
Wind River Range, Wyoming
“The intent of forest bathing is to put people in touch with present-moment experience in a very deep way,” explains clinical psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD. “The sights, sounds and smells of the forest take us right into that moment, so our brains stop anticipating, recalling, ruminating and worrying.” (Cleveland Clinic - Forest Bathing: What it is and its Potential Benefits)
Forest in Glacier National Park, Montana
Forest Bathing
"A forest bathing trip involves visiting a forest for relaxation and recreation while breathing in volatile substances, called phytoncides (wood essential oils), which are antimicrobial volatile organic compounds derived from trees... It has now become a recognized relaxation and/or stress management activity in Japan." (Wikipedia, Forest bathing)
My favorite place for shinrin yoku is at Shabo-Mekaw (above), our 60-acre tract of gorgeous forest in Lewis County, Kentucky. Bounded on three sides by the Kinniconick Creek, it lies in a sparsley populated rural area that few have even heard of. One of the most striking things aboout it, to me, is the quiet. I can walk for hours and never encounter another human being.
Of course, there are sounds - tree frogs chirping, bird calls, cicadas in summer, and in most seasons, the sound of water flowing in the creek. Listening to the water's peaceful song and watching the light dance across it in ever-changing colors - it just soothes my soul. I can forget about everything that causes me anxiety - which is a lot these days - and just be in the moment.
Being there never fails to calm me and give me a fresh perspective on whatever problems I may be facing. Somehow, spending time with a huge, ancient tree makes my worries seem insignificant.
The photos above were taken at Tygart Creek in Carter County, Kentucky.
Benefits of Forest Bathing
Studies conducted in Japan since 2004 have identified several benefits of Shinrin-yoku on human health. Here are a few of them:
increases human natural killer (NK) activity, the number of NK cells, and the intracellular levels of anti-cancer proteins, suggesting a preventive effect on cancers
reduces blood pressure and heart rate showing preventive effect on hypertension and heart diseases
reduces stress hormones
improves sleep
reduces the scores for anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion, and increases the score for vigor, showing preventive effects on depression
These studies confirm what I, and countless others, feel when we spend time in forests. While we might not know the scientific names for what's happening, we can definately feel it in our bodies and minds.
“Relaxing in nature causes increases in parasympathetic nerve activity. The parasympathetic nervous system activates when your body is at rest...
...The trees themselves might also directly cause some of these health benefits. Trees release compounds into the air known as phytoncides, which can help reduce stress levels.”
photos taken in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
So, my friends, find yourself a forest, or a park, and spend some time with the trees. Breathe in the fresh air, bask in beauty, and let your stress fall away... This is exactly what I'll be doing tomorrow...
When I am Among the Trees
by Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees, especially the willows and the honey locust, equally the beech, the oaks and the pines, they give off such hints of gladness. I would almost say that they save me, and daily. I am so distant from the hope of myself, in which I have goodness, and discernment, and never hurry through the world but walk slowly, and bow often. Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out, ”Stay awhile.” The light flows from their branches. And they call again, ”It's simple,” they say, ”and you too have come into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled with light, and to shine.”
Kinniconick Creek in Fall
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