Let nature be your remedy with forest bathing

The next time you’re under pressure and need a nature-fix, listen to your body. Forest bathing is scientifically proven to benefit the body and mind.

Have you ever noticed an ‘edgy’ feeling creeping in when you need a nature fix?

After a trip to a favourite secret location in far East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia, it became quite apparent that nature-therapy is a real phenomenon. [1]

A couple of days before the trip, a slight-upper-back-niggle escalated to full-blown-medication-required-pain.

No chance to book an emergency chiropractic session. I pushed through and went camping knowing that a dose of nature-therapy would be good for the soul.

Picture this:

We arrived at camp, found a perfect spot, the van is set up in no time. Hubby is off collecting firewood. The kids are riding their bikes and enjoying time to themselves.

I’ve got a chance to spend five minutes alone in nature. I spot a cluster of tree ferns on a sunny glade near the van. It’s beckoning for me to lay down and watch the world go by. I heed nature’s call. With closed eyes, the echoing sounds of bellbirds soothe the soul.

As I relax into the comfort of the earth, [2] the trickle of the stream close-by makes its presence known.

A meditative breeze passes through the Mountain Ash forest. The Autumn sun is heart-warming. This nature-based experience reminds me of the gift of presence which is always by our side.

Eyes-wide-open, the clouds shape-shift with new forms evolving by the minute. My daughter joins me on the glade and we bliss out on the sky-show together. I gently stretch and relax into Child’s Pose before rising to make a cup of tea.

That medication-inducing back pain significantly diminished because of the benefits of five minutes of nature-therapy.

How many times have you spent time in a forest and immediately felt lighter?

Forest bathing, nature-therapy, eco-therapy – a nature-fix – are scientifically proven ways to counteract the stressors we encounter in modern life. The Japanese have used nature as a therapeutic technique since the 1980’s. [3] So why is nature-therapy still an emerging health trend?

The next time you’re under pressure and need a nature-fix, listen to your body. Take time to immerse yourself in nature and then come back to what you’re doing.

You'll immediately feel the benefits. [4]

REFERENCES:

[1] Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs (unknown). Science Agrees: Nature is Good for You. Retrieved from https://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/about/science

[2] Juyoung Lee, Qing Li, Liisa Tyrväinen, Yuko Tsunetsugu, Bum-Jin Park, Takahide Kagawa and Yoshifumi Miyazaki (2012). Nature Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Public Health - Social and Behavioral Health, Prof. Jay Maddock (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-0620-3, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/public-health-social-and-behavioral-health/nature-therapy-and-preventivemedicine

[3] Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs (unknown). The Practice of Forest Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/about/the-practice-of-forest-therapy

[4] Visit Victoria (unknown). Forest Bathing. Retrieved from https://www.visitvictoria.com/Features/Forest-bathing

Categories: Slow Living, Mindfulness