By Rahawa Haile — 2017
The practice, long-popular in Japan, is gaining traction in the U.S. as a way of harnessing the health benefits of being outdoors.
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CLEAR ALL
Richard Louv explains how parents, educators, and urban planners can help kids reconnect with nature—before it's too late.
The Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku—literally translated as “forest bathing”—is based on a simple premise: immerse yourself in the forest, absorb its sights, sounds, and smells, and you will reap numerous psychological and physiological benefits.
Andrew Weil is wondering if the forest therapy that originated in Japan is available in the U.S. Or is it something we’re just supposed to do on our own to reduce stress?
The aim of forest bathing, Melanie Choukas-Bradley explains, is to slow down and become immersed in the natural environment.
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Once you’ve decided on the time and location of your forest bath or decide to join a group journey into the forest, you’ve made a commitment to yourself and to Mother Earth.
The practice of forest bathing, also called forest therapy, involves no bathing and isn’t led by a therapist but a trained, certified guide or guides. In Japan, the practice is decades old and known as shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest.”
Being in nature can restore our mood, give us back our energy and vitality, refresh, and rejuvenate us.