Forest Bathing Strikes a Chord with Exhausted City Dwellers

Your mother knew what she was talking about when she told you to go outside and play. Science has confirmed that spending time in nature benefits human health, physically and emotionally—reducing stress, alleviating depression, and speeding physical recovery. At the center of current interest in the healing power of nature is a practice called shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. Forest bathing is simple: Leave your smart phone behind, find a place with trees, and drink in the calm and green as you amble, picnic, meditate, practice Tai Chi or yoga, or just breathe. Almost any activity will do; the goal is to be there and be present, without the distractions of modern life. The idea seems to resonate with readers: Several titles on forest bathing were published in 2018 , but the topic has gathered steam in 2019, with at least a dozen new and forthcoming books. Forest Bathing: Discovering Health and Happiness through the Japanese Practice of Shinrin Yoku by Cyndi Gilbert (St. Martins Essentials, May), the second title in SME’s new line of Start Here Guides, introduces readers to the art and science of forest bathing . Naturopathic physician Gilbert writes, "Imagine a therapy that is completely free, readily available, and virtually without side effects that can radically transform your health by improving your mental health, brain health, heart health, stress resiliency, immune system, and more. It exists, and it’s called ‘nature exposure,’ or forest bathing. Interacting with nature is one of the most effective and easiest health hacks you can incorporate into your life." Notes SME editor Gwen Hawkes, “The appeal of forest bathing is its simplicity. Many of us intuitively have a connection with nature and know that we feel more relaxed and at peace in that environment. Forest bathing is a natural extension of that […]

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