Wellness: Forest bathing

I love trees. I find them calming confidants and amazing conduits for prayer.

As the challenging energy of the world rises, trees hold solid and grounding energy.

With the Sept. 22 autumnal equinox drawing nearer, more and more deciduous trees are transforming from orbs of green to colourful beacons of red, orange, and yellow. It was during a recent hike in Algonquin Park that I was reminded of the health benefits of forest bathing.

Forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku means “taking in the forest atmosphere” and is credited to the Japanese. However, First Nation peoples have long understood the spiritual and health interconnections between humans and trees. For North American First Nations,cedar trees have special significance because of their purification properties and high Vitamin C content, which helped prevent scurvy during the winter months. For the Haudenosaunee white pine embodies the values of peace, strength, and unity and is known as the peace tree.

Forest bathing is a therapeutic practice that involves walking mindfully through a forest and engaging all your senses to experience such sensations as the rustling of leaves, the dappled sunlight through the trees, the soft chorus of birds. It isn’t a demanding process; it’s a restful one where your mind gets the chance to slow down and rejuvenate.

Trees are living, breathing beings that are quietly communing with humans. Trees take in carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen which we gratefully inhale. In fact, “a mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year.” There’s research to show that we also take in advantageous substances such as beneficial bacteria, plant-derived essential oils and negatively-charged ions when we breath forest air. When you stand in a forest and take a deep breath, you will not only feel relaxed, you will be taking in immune-boosting compounds.

Humans have an invisible electromagnetic energy field around their bodies that extends about three feet. Some people call this an aura. Trees have a similar energy field. In 2009, scientists at MIT discovered the natural voltage of trees, which occurs due to thedifference in pH from the inside of a tree and the soil it is growing in. For more information on how trees energetically communicate and benefit the planet I would encourage you to read The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.

With the current overuse of screens (phones, computers, video gaming) many of us are disconnected from nature and our natural circadian rhythms. This has negative impacts on our mental and physical well- being as well as the way in which we connect with one another. Forest bathing is a great way to reconnect to the soothing aspects of nature. Research has shown that regular walks in a forest can reduce anxiety and feelings of depression, decrease blood pressure and improve immunity.