Forest Bathing

Have you ever heard of forest bathing? (And no, it doesn't have to do with bathtubs or water.) We all know how much time spent in a forest feels good. Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) started as an intentional practice in Japan in the 1980s. A way to release the stress from the daily working environment, forest bathing is about getting out into the natural environment, slowing down, and using our senses to become present and absorb the healing benefits of our surroundings. You can read an article about forest bathing here.

There is a forest-bathing trail in Gros Morne! I had just come from the marine station and was feeling energized and just a bit wound up. The Southeast Brook Falls trail is at about the halfway mark on the drive home so I stopped to explore it. I put on my hiking boots, strapped on my camera, and set out.

Okay. True confessions. I didn't do what the signs said. Not at first. The trail was beautiful and I wanted to walk so I powered ahead, setting my sights on the waterfall that marks the end of the short hike.

I stood at the top of the falls for a long time and it was there that the forest bathing began for me. My heart rate slowed and I could feel myself relax. Whereas the hike to the falls had been fast and purposeful, the hike back through the forest from the falls to the car was slow and wondrous. I paid attention--to the signs, to my senses, and to the forest.

If you have a chance to do some forest bathing--it can be in a local park or in your garden if you don't have access to a forest, I highly recommend it. It's good for your health!