What is Forest Bathing
In today’s world, do you find yourself overly busy? Overwhelmed? Exhausted? Do you feel as though you are in a perpetual state of fight, flight, or freeze? What if there was a way to calm and soothe your nervous system? Walking in nature is a holistic strategy for doing just this. It involves our entire human system: mind, heart, body, and soul. When we get up and get moving, we keep our bodies alive. When we engage with all our senses, we bring about a holistic integration of all our parts. What better way is there to do this than walking in nature?
Recently, I discovered an activity called “Forest Bathing, a Japanese healing method also known as Shinrin-yoku. This is a process of communing with nature that can help us reset our nervous systems.
For thousands of years, our bodies and brains developed at the lap of nature. There is a part of you that still feels at home in nature. In fact, when you communicate with nature, your brain behaves differently. Your body picks up signals that boost your immunity and enhance your healing powers.
A few posts ago I published a piece about noticing nature. This month I am partnering with Oregon Wheelchair Hikers to provide an inclusive nature walk experience on Sunday June 27, 2026, from noon to three, at Fields Bridge Park, (821 Willamette Falls Dr, West Linn, OR 97068). I will share a short presentation about accessing happiness through all your available senses. Following the presentation, we will walk accessible trails. You will be encouraged to notice and name what you experience through all your available senses. At the end of the walk, we will gather and discuss what we noticed and how this session might inform how we connect with life moving forward.
As I was preparing for my presentation, I discovered Forest Bathing. Forest Bathing provides opportunities for healing through all your senses. Who knew there was such a thing? Coincidentally, you can also experience this process in West Lin, Oregon, at Mary S. Young Park. If you are not from Oregon, I am certain you can find similar places to experience this phenomenon. The links below will introduce you more fully to the activity of Forest Bathing.
What is Forest Bathing?
Five Amazing Benefits of Forest Bathing:
Forest Bathing: