Anti-Aging! 5 Health & Wellness Benefits of Forest Bathing
Would you like to reduce stress? Would you like to do more self-care this year? Then you may want to turn to forests this year 🙂
It is a Japanese holistic approach to anti-aging and it’s called Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy). Since 1980, the Japanese have been dedicating a whole field of research to it and many health benefits of forest bathing are now scientifically proven.
I have many fond memories of visiting forests with my family when I was in Japan. My dad often suggested we go shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) at weekends to spend some time in nature. My grandparents also loved it too.
It was not quite like hiking but more relaxed. It was simply going into the woods, trying to smell the surrounding trees, and enjoying the sound of birds, falling leaves or any sound nature produces.
Being simply present in the forest as you wander about is the essence of Japanese forest bathing (not really having a bath in the forest!) :). I’d like to share the concept with you today as this has had a positive impact on my well-being and health. Let’s dive in!
What is Forest Bathing (or Shinrin-yoku)?
Japan has a long history of forest bathing (or shinrin-yoku 森林浴) due to its scientifically proven health benefits. The concept was originally introduced by the government in 1982 and Japan has been studying the physical and psychological effects of forest bathing ever since.
Forest bathing is Shinrin-yoku (森林浴) in Japanese. “Shinrin (森林)” means forests & trees and “yoku (浴)” means bathing. So if you put the two words together, it literally means bathing in the forest. When Japanese people say shinrin-yoku, it has a figurative meaning.
It means to simply be present immersing yourself in forests.
It’s like being mindful of your presence.
The sound of little birds, falling leaves, the wind passing through the forest, the smell of trees and rivers. You FEEL nature with your heart. It is a very therapeutic and healing experience 🙂
What are the Health Benefits?
We instinctually know being in contact with nature is good for us. The key is in the oils which trees emit according to some studies. Trees emit oils as protection from germs and insects. These oils are called “phytoncides” and research shows that they have great power on you!
5 Health Benefits of Forest Bathing
- Helps our metabolism
- Increase our immune system
- Lower our heart and blood pressure
- Reduce stress hormones
- Reduce anxiety, depression, fatigue, confusion
There are many health benefits and this can also work as anti-aging with reduced stress and improved immune system.
Wisdom for Anti-Aging
Aging process can come in many forms. Sometimes, we all go through tough times and this can age us quite fast. If we had good metabolism and immune system, it would help to maintain youthful looking skin too.
As you shower the super oils onto you, it can work like a aroma therapy.
Go forest bathing and refresh yourself regularly.
Simply go into the woods and enjoy with all your senses 🙂
✤ Related reads ✤
How To Do Forest Bathing
It is very simple!
- Go to a forest (it can be a park full of trees)
- Just wander around slowly
- Breath deeply
- Enjoy being present and everything you can see, hear, smell
It is more like strolling around.
Just know that it is NOT quite like hiking with a certain destination in mind.
You are simply in the woods without any distraction. Just you and trees. Away from the city bustle, social media and technology. Leave your phone if you can!
Be VERY present and soaking it all in with your senses so that you’re really seeing the beauty around, breathing in the fresh air, and feeling the bark of trees.
If you want to know more about how trees can help you, you may want to read the book below.
It is really an interesting read. (click the book to check it on Amazon!)
The author Dr.Qing Li visits forests near Tokyo where he works. His story was featured in the Guardian and apparently the Duchess of Cambridge is also a fan of forest bathing!
Happy Beautiful Skin 🙂
Every sound, scent, colour as you wander around in the woods. Really ‘feel’ the forest in all its natural beauty. With forest bathing, mindfulness meets nature…
Forest essential oils with phytoncides will make their way into more spa experiences and products, so you may want to look into this too!
Obviously, we cannot reproduce what nature does or offers, so to get the most effects of forest bathing please visit forests 🙂 It will help you stay young!
Happy wandering in the forests!
About the author
Nana is a Japanese model-turned-entrepreneur and the founder of this blog. She was born and raised in Japan and currently lives in Switzerland. She started her skincare journey at the age of 13 when her mother introduced her ritual to her. Now 39, her love of skincare (Japanese way of course!) is bigger than ever before. She's here to share her decades of experience in the world of Japanese skincare to help all women from around the globe live happily with beautiful skin.
