NATURE THERAPY
Jane McGowan explores the practice of forest bathing...
No one is under any illusion as to how hard the past few months have been – living under the spectre of a global pandemic has certainly taken its toll on the nation.
Yet Covid-19 has also seen some positives emerge too: communities have come together to re-establish long-broken links; the environment has been given a well-deserved boost after the world was forced to pause, and people have rediscovered the great outdoors thanks to the hour-long exercise allowance.
So as we prepare to head into winter why not give your mental and physical health a boost with a spot of forest bathing.
Based on the Japanese art of ‘shinrin-yoku’, the practice is a form of relaxation that helps you to find a stillness among the trees.
Walton-based Philippa Bassett is the marketing lead at The Forest Bathing Institute and is currently training to be a forest bathing practitioner.
“The literal translation of ‘shinrin-yoku’ is actually a forest shower but it has been adapted to bathing in this country. And yes, you do get people asking if they should wear a swimsuit,” she adds.
The organisation, which runs sessions at Newlands Corner near Guildford and the Harry Edwards Healing Sanctuary in Shere, describes itself as Forest Bathing+ as its practice is underpinned by mindfulness techniques.
It works hand-in-hand with traditional medicine and following lockdown, the Institute received funding in order to provide sessions for those working in the NHS.
“In Japan it is referred to as environmental medicine, using the forest to help you heal,” Philippa explains.
“Surrey has an abundance of ancient woodland where there are key trees which omit certain properties. Alongside this is a vast network of fungi that supports the forest. They alert the trees to any disease that can harm them – they protect their species first, but they can also help other species, such as humans too. It’s known as the ‘wood-wide web’.”
According to the Institute, forest bathing offers a “slow, relaxing sensory journey designed to calm the body and mind” with benefits including a reduction in “stress levels, stronger immune system response, and a stabilised cortisol cycle”.
Sessions typically run for two hours with small (socially distanced) groups walking through the woodland. Leaders will then explain something of the history of forest bathing and its benefits. The session ends with meditation followed by a sharing circle. According to Philippa, there is no requirement to speak, in fact apart from the sharing circle, talking is actively discouraged.
“It’s a very safe and confidential environment,” she says. “Breathing in all the forest has to offer is integral – 50% of all the forest emits is beneficial to the body.”
Bathers are encouraged to tune into the different senses, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the woodland.
“When it has rained the scents are higher and you have that rich air to inhale – dead foliage, damp earth and wet ferns – you are taking in chemicals that are all useful to us.”
Visual senses are stimulated as participants are asked to examine the colours of the woodland and drink in the beauty and stillness of the deep green tones of the forest, as well as the azures of the sky.
“A lot of people [pre-lockdown] existed in their sympathetic nervous system – where it’s more fight and flight with high-stress lifestyles producing higher cortisone levels. This then takes its toll on the body’s immune system.”
Philippa says the “ultimate goal” is to switch to the parasympathetic nervous system which slows the heart rate, enabling the body to conserve energy while increasing intestinal and gland activity.
“If you are residing in the parasympathetic, you are more likely to take a more reasoned approach to day-to-life. It boosts concentration and is also the state that helps your body to recover, which is important at the moment.”
Sessions, as you would expect are very relaxed and participants are given basic exercises to enhance their time in the forest.
“We encourage people to experience things they might not have stopped and noticed before – smells that evoke childhood for example. We ask them to just stand and listen – take a few moments to focus on the sound of the trees or the birdsong. Basically, just take some time – some time to breathe and just be.”
To find out more about The Forest Bathing Instute+ and upcoming events, visit: tfb.institute.