I tried Japanese forest bathing – here's 3 ways it improved my wellbeing

Japanese forest bathing, known as shinrin-yoku, involves spending mindful time in nature, more specifically within a forest. Doctors within Japan encourage patients to visit forests as a break from urban life, using it as a preventative measure against anxiety and depression among other mental health difficulties and physical discomforts caused by stress.

Most people spend much of their time within an urban environment, leading busy and overstimulated lives. Shinrin-yoku allows you to step away from the chaos and enter the quieter world of nature. It also involves your whole body and senses, making it more appealing to those who find sitting still or doing nothing uncomfortable.

Forest bathing isn’t designed to be an activity where you stand, sit or walk through a forest and take in your surroundings, keeping distractions to a minimum, or avoiding them altogether. Instead, the idea is to be present as you walk, stand or sit in the forest, allowing your senses to take in the sights, sounds, smells, colours and textures that surround you.

As shinrin-yoku has many health and wellbeing benefits, I was intrigued so I decided to give it a go. Here’s three things I experienced when I tried Japanese forest bathing.

1. Japanese forest bathing calmed my worries

Prior to entering the forest, I had awoken with many thoughts in my head and concerns that had been niggling at me. Various worries swept through my mind as I ate my breakfast and prepared to go forest bathing. Some of these worries surface every few months for me and others were new. I kept an open mind while driving to my chosen forest in the hope that this session of forest bathing may help relieve some of my mental chatter.

Once I entered the forest and started noticing the colours of the wet trodden leaves on the ground, the bright green moss growing at the base of the trees and hearing the faint chirps and songs of birds in the distance, I felt my body ease. I took a few deeper breaths as I slowly strolled along the forest path, noticing the cold winter air entering my nostrils, feeling a sense of freshness. I continued to practice staying present, even touching some of the moss on the trees as I went past them. After a short while, I noticed I was no longer concerned with the worries that had plagued me since opening my eyes. None of those thoughts felt important as I connected to the nature I was surrounded by.

This didn’t take long to achieve either — I'm not talking two hours in, I'm talking 10 minutes. Being in a more secluded and quiet place allowed my nervous system to decompress quite quickly. Without the external noise of cars, people, dogs and other general human noise, something deep inside of me settled and settled rapidly. I felt tension in my physical body release as well as my mind becoming quiet and regulated once again. It was the perfect antidote to an overactive mind.

2. I felt a sense of connection and perspective

After noticing my mind had become calmer, I became aware that, although I was alone, I didn’t feel alone. I felt connected to my natural surroundings and to the wider world beyond the forest. I felt I was part of something bigger than my own bubble.

Once my mind had let go of the concerns I had, it left space for my mind to expand, so to speak. By remaining present with the forest’s sounds, sights, smells and textures, I was able to feel a sense of connection that allowed for perspective. Rather than becoming bogged down with my worries and concerns, forest bathing had allowed me to shift my perspective and help me realize that my worries were really not that big a deal.

As I wandered around the forest, taking in all the details I possibly could, it made me realise that our place on Earth is small. When life becomes chaotic, to-do lists are never-ending and we’re overstimulated, it’s easy to think worries are bigger than they are. Being in the forest allowed me the experience of stepping outside of myself and my corner of the world which felt like a relief.

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3. Japanese forest bathing cleared my stuffy nose

After suffering with a cold for the last few days, I noticed a big physical difference in my body as I walked through the forest. During the morning and drive to my location, I was struggling to take breaths through my nose and my chest was tight. I did wonder if I would be able to do the walk but decided to try anyway, and I’m glad I did.

After a while, while walking through the forest, I realised my chest no longer felt tight and that I could breathe through both my nostrils. As part of the practice was to keep all my senses engaged in my surroundings, I wanted to take in the cold air. I originally started my walk having to breathe through my mouth but then noticed later that I was now breathing through my nostrils. Once I’d realized this, it felt refreshing to be able to breathe properly again and allowed me to notice how fresh and cold the air was.

Of course, it could have just been getting outside and getting fresh air helped to clear my sinuses but I’m not sure the effect and realisation of this clearing of my sinuses would have been noticed if I wasn’t already being mindful in beautiful surroundings. The practice allowed me to connect with my natural surroundings but also grew the connection I felt to my own body, allowing me to notice small changes that were occurring within as I walked.

The walk through the forest woke up my physical body, cleared my sinuses, cleansed my lungs and cleared my mind. Shinrin-yoku is definitely something I will do more often, and I’ll be encouraging others to do so, too.