Forest Bathing

Forest bathing is the practice of spending time among trees and mindfully engaging with your environment. This is not exercise, hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature and connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Outside, we can smell flowers, taste the fresh air, watch the changing colors of the trees, hear birds singing, and feel the breeze on our skin. When we open up our senses, we begin to connect with the natural world. Of all our senses, smell is the most primal. With higher oxygen levels, the air in the Manistee Forest is also full of phytoncides. Phytoncides are natural oils in plants, part of the tree’s defense system and how trees communicate with each other. Walking through the heart of Manistee Forest and breathing in this natural aromatherapy can boost your mood, reduce anxiety, and strengthen your immune system.

Benefits of Forest Bathing

Reduces blood pressure

Lowers stress: Levels of stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline decrease after forest bathing

Improves Sleep: The average sleep time of participants after a two-hour forest walk increased by 15% percent

Improves heart health

Lowers blood sugar levels

Improves concentration and memory

Improves mental health: A walk anywhere will improve your mood, but a forest walk gives it an extra boost

Boosts energy

Boosts immunity: Phytoncides have been shown to boost natural killer (NK) cells that fight infection

Helps you lose weight.

How You Forest Bathe

Find a spot – There is no one-size-fits-all answer for where to bathe. Find somewhere that feels safe and peaceful, with clear walkways and, ideally, a variety of plants, sounds, and smells to engage your senses. The most important thing is to get out there and give it a go; learn what works best for you.

Walk slowly – I recommend walking slowly for beginners, ideally 2 hours to walk this way you can really tune into the forest environment.

Engage your senses, which birds can you hear singing? Is the wind rustling the leaves in the trees? How does the sunlight filter through the tree canopy? How many different shades of green can you see? Can you smell the phytoncides the trees give off? Why not place your hands on a tree? How does that feel? Take a few deep breaths; how does the fresh air taste as it enters your lungs?

Take it further – Once you start using your senses, you begin to notice more and more, but if you want to take this further,  at the end of your walk, sit in stillness at your favorite spot, embrace stillness to deepen your experience and fully settle within you. Enjoy the great outdoors!