With all the wellness techniques discovered daily, we need to conduct adequate research before jumping on the bandwagon. Forest bathing is one of the recently appreciated methods which is believed to stimulate peace, tranquility, and wellness in the individual.
The practice is about immersing yourself in a forest or somewhere in nature that represents the serenity of forest elements. Here your five senses come to play as the forest’s light, smell, feel, taste, and sounds serenade you.
Sounds subliminal, right? Here’s how you can unlock dimensions of wellness through forest bathing.
How To Do It
The key to forest bathing is the focus. This means that any electronic device needs to be put away while you’re doing this. Locate an environment that’s filled with nature, preferably a forest or a dense park. This may sound a little frivolous, but you’ll need to channel the power of your five senses.
Let your senses guide you. It may look like you’re wandering in a forest, but you’re actually trying to tune into the forest’s frequencies using your senses as a transmitter. By so doing, you’ll want to listen to the winds, trail the scent of the leaves, savor the forest lights, taste the air’s freshness, feel the soil, lie on the ground and just let the environment engulf you. You shouldn’t feel like you’re going anywhere, so take your time and don’t be in a rush.
The importance of your senses during this practice cannot be overemphasized. They are your window to wellness in this practice. Breathe in the forest and breathe out the stress. Forest bathing involves walking without aim, a map, or a destination site, but it consists of the individual doing this with awareness and mindfulness of the environment. It shouldn’t be mistaken for hiking.
This practice has been recommended as a stress reliever by many psychologists, and it’s been shown to improve one’s immunity. It offers a perfect scenario to unwind. However, it can be time-consuming as people tend to lose track of time when forest bathing.
