Forest Bathing
What Is Forest Bathing?
Forest bathing, or Shinrin-yoku, originated in Japan in the early 1980s as a public health initiative to reduce stress and improve well-being. Japan was experiencing rapid urbanization and economic growth.
With this came new health challenges:
📈 Rising stress and burnout among workers in demanding corporate environments
🏙️ Overcrowded cities with little green space and high pollution levels
🧠 Increased rates of anxiety, depression and lifestyle-related diseases e.g., hypertension and cardiovascular issues
💀 Death from overwork (“karoshi”) a recognized problem in Japan’s culture of long work hours
The initiative encouraged people to slow down and immerse themselves in forest environments.
The Japanese Forest Agency and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries introduced Shinrin-yoku in 1982 as a way to reconnect people with nature and preserve forest use in modern life. Their idea was simple: if people spent more time in forests, they would be healthier, more relaxed and less burdened by stress.
Over time, the practice gained traction and researchers began scientifically studying the physiological and psychological effects—helping establish what is now called “Forest Medicine.”
Other cultures and traditions share similar approaches in using nature to heal:
Celtic / Druidic traditions (Ireland, Scotland, Wales) – The Celts revered groves, oaks and sacred forests as places of wisdom and healing. Rituals often took place in woodlands, where nature was seen as both a temple and a teacher.
Chinese Taoist and Buddhist traditions – Forest monasteries and mountain retreats were chosen specifically for their harmony with nature. Taoist practices emphasize aligning one’s Qi (life energy) with natural surroundings.
Finnish “Sauna and Forest Culture” – In Finland, metsä (the forest) is central to well-being. People regularly spend time in the woods for relaxation, combined with sauna rituals as cleansing and healing.
German Romanticism & “Waldtherapie” (“forest therapy”) – In 19th-century Europe, German doctors prescribed “forest cures” (Waldtherapie) and stays in woodland sanatoria for tuberculosis and nervous exhaustion, believing forests restored vitality.
Indigenous North American traditions – Many First Nations and Native American peoples practice deep spiritual and physical connection with land, forests and all living beings. Practices like ‘vision quests’, ‘sweat lodges’, and storytelling in natural settings emphasize healing and guidance from nature.
Korean Sanlimyok – Similar to Shinrin-yoku, Korea promotes forest bathing as stress relief and healing, often through state-supported forest therapy centers.
Norwegian/Scandinavian Friluftsliv – Literally “open-air living,” this philosophy encourages regular immersion in nature, not as recreation but as a lifestyle essential to mental and physical health.
Forest bathing is not about hiking hard trails; rather, it is about taking leisurely walks, sit quietly, breathe deeply, observe, listen, smell, touch—letting nature work on you.
Does It Really Work?
There’s no pill to take or gadget to buy and the current research says that it works.
Stress & Hormones: Lower cortisol, reduced blood pressure, slowed pulse in forest vs. urban settings. BioMed Central+2Frontiers+2
Immune Function: Increased Natural Killer cell activity & intracellular anti-cancer proteins after forest exposure. journals.sagepub.com+1
Mood, Sleep & Anxiety: Forest environments tend to improve mood, promote restorative sleep, and reduce anxiety. Frontiers+1
Physical Health: Reduced sympathetic nervous activity, improved parasympathetic balance, lower risk markers (e.g. blood pressure) in forest participants. PubMed+1
So, What is the Magic that Makes Forest Bathing Work?
There’s no magic. As we actively engage our senses in the surroundings of a forest, the following happens.
Phytoncides: Tree-emitted volatile compounds (e.g. from pine, cedar) that seem to enhance immune activity. PMC+1
Sensory richness: Visual green landscapes, sounds of nature, smells of soil & leaves, textures of bark and moss—stimulating senses regulates the nervous system.
Fresh air & light: Cleaner air, exposure to daylight helps regulate circadian rhythm and mood.
Reduced stimuli & stressors: Being away from traffic, noise, screens; slowing down leads to reduced stress hormone (like cortisol) levels.
Grounding / Earthing: An Added Layer of Healing
Grounding/Earthing means direct physical contact with the earth (e.g., barefoot walking, lying on the ground, touch a plant, bathing in a lake or sleeping grounded via conductive materials).
Research indicates grounding may:
Improve sleep quality, especially in populations with disruptions like mild Alzheimer’s disease. mdpi.com
Normalize circadian cortisol profiles, reduce stress and pain symptoms. PubMed
Reduce inflammatory markers and support wound healing. PubMed
How to Try It: Using Your Five Senses
Here are samples & suggestions you can include in your forest bathing practice :
Sight: Notice the light through leaves, shadows, gradients of color—moss, bark texture, sky visible through the canopy.
Sound: Listen for birds, rustling leaves, wind, distant water, the silence between sounds.
Smell: Inhale scents of earth, pine, flowers, wet leaves, resin.
Touch: Feel bark, moss, soil under your feet (barefoot if possible & safe), leaf surfaces, breeze on your skin.
Taste: Maybe sip water or herbal tea slowly, or simply taste the fresh air; mindful breathing in the forest air.
Try walking slowly, pausing and set your phone on silent.
Recommended Frequency: Minimal Dose for Effect
Any amount of time spent forest bathing will be time well spent. However, if you need some guidance, try some of these basic duration and frequency recommendations.
Daily: ~20 minutes in a green setting (park, garden, woodland) is enough to reduce stress & improve mood.
Weekly: A longer session (1-2 hours) or full forest immersion (weekend or multi-hour walks) helps deepen benefits, especially immune function and more lasting stress reduction.
Bonus trips: Retreats or even a day-long forest outing amplify effects and may extend benefits (e.g. ‘natural killer’ activity increase lasting several days). PMC+1
U.S. History & Context
Forest bathing hasn’t been formally part of U.S. health policy in the same way Japan adopted Shinrin-yoku, but U.S. history has shown that it has been used and is still present, today.
In the late 19th–early 20th centuries, physicians recommended retreats to mountain or woodland sanatoria for tuberculosis, chronic illness or nervous conditions.
More recently, “park prescriptions” and “nature therapy” are being used by healthcare providers and community programs as preventive & mental health tools.
💬 Takeaway & Invitation:
Try spending 20 minutes in a nearby green space, notice what you see, smell, hear, touch, taste. Even if you have to travel a little bit to find a green space, it will be worth it.
Once a week, aim for a longer nature immersion.
And consider grounding—go barefoot or lie on the earth on a safe place.
Your mind, body and immune system will thank you.