Open Meadows: Forest bathing

One of my favorite things about the Plains community is seeing kids walking to the river with fishing poles, often barefoot, children who have not lost their connectedness to nature. They play in the dirt. They eat dirt as babies and pile themselves with the sand on the beach or in leaves in the fall. As we grow older we are taught that that is not something we should do. “Going barefoot is unsanitary!” or “Eating dirt will give you worms!” While eating dirt may not be good for your gut, experiencing it could be. Walking barefoot grounds us to the earth and the natural world we learn to shut out as we grow into adulthood.

Things have come full circle as we as humans are learning to explore and experience nature more fully. Finally! Forest Bathing is a fairly new concept in its entirety. But people, especially children, have been practicing it, maybe without knowing it, for centuries. I was first introduced to the concept when I was given a book from my mom, titled “Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature” by M. Amos Clifford published in 2018.

In his introduction Clifford writes, “You carry the forest inside you. It is a mirror within, of the great forests of the world.” He also writes, “Forest bathing is a practice that belongs in each person’s palette of self-care strategies.” Furthermore,“Humans are not separate from nature and have no free pass to escape the effects of traumas we inflict upon it.” Clifford’s idea is that healing of people and forests happens together or not at all.

As for bathing, though we automatically think of water in a tub or in a river or lake implied by the term, “forest bathing,” the bathing happens with the flow of air that surrounds us. Clifford explains, like water, it moves in currents, it flows in waves. We can see many things that float on air currents such as clouds, birds, pollen, and insects, all the air ecosystems. Sound travels and shares patterns of information. Clifford states, “In these ways and more, the atmosphere is much like the ocean. The air around us is an ocean in which we have always bathed.”

While bathing-like practices with nature have been around for centuries, the Japanese practice is relatively new. Shinrin-yoku was conceived in 1982 by Tomohide Akiyama when he was the director of the Japanese Forestry Agency. He wanted to create an experience that connected forest visits of health and wellness to tourism, according to Clifford.

No country or civilization has a monopoly on the experience. Anyone can create situations that allow nature encounters to be available for people who are starving for the outdoors and wanting to bask, or bathe, in the beauty of nature. But Japan does have its roots deeply embedded in the belief of the healing powers of forests. Shintoism is the belief that all things have indwelling spirits, including mountains and trees.

To clarify things, Clifford explains in his book that forest bathing is not the same thing as hiking. “The destination for bathing is here, not there. The pace is slow and the focus is on connection and relationship.” Some people think they have been experiencing the connection their whole lives, me included. The fact is that most of us have not learned the true art of stillness in nature. I had freedom as a child, like many people my age who grew up in Montana, to just be in the moment of a walk in the woods or a horseback ride, or to sit by a stream and daydream. As we grow older our minds become cluttered with responsibilities and monkey chatter. Our time in nature is clouded with interference and our senses are blocked. Clifford writes, “The approach to forest bathing in my book is similar to shinrin-yoku, but there are differences. The Japanese say they use all five senses.” Clifford has a list of senses that he says he has been familiarized with, to include a total of 14. “They accelerate my connection to nature, self, and others. These additional senses can be tapped into or more likely remembered, quite naturally through the invitations we forest therapy guides use on our walks.”

Clifford has a list of steps to help us get started on our path of optimal flow of the moment with forest bathing. In-depth information can be found in his book. But here I will give a brief overview of what I think can help you get started. Remember, practice makes perfect. Start by setting your intentions firmly for forest bathing. Use ceremonial words of intent, or whatever helps you set the walk apart from other experiences, known as the Threshold of Connection. Next, plan to stay in one place for at least fifteen minutes. Use your senses to explore this invitation for Embodied Awareness. Thirdly, walk slowly for twenty minutes noticing what is moving around you. Focus on the flow of energy around you, wind, animals, other people, etc. Choose one to three of these to hone into as Infinite Possibilities. Stay connected for as long as needed. When done, sit in a spot for up to twenty minutes. Be aware of things around you that you may not have noticed before. After this time, enjoy refreshments of tea or a bite if you are out away from home. Finally, end with the Threshold of Incorporation. This is done at the place you began. Give thanks for your experience, journal about your experiences. As you grow in your bathing journey take notice of any new senses that you experience. Happy bathing!

Reach Shannon at [email protected]