What is Forest Bathing? Can it be as simple as sitting in the backyard? Or does it have to be in the deep woods unhindered by development? Must it be guided, or can one just be present?
I think the answer is that it can be any of those things if an intention is made to be present to the sights, sounds, smells, feel, and even taste of a wooded area, and to spend the necessary time to be connective to the woods in a meaningful way. Forest bathing, also known as forest therapy, became common in Japanese preventive health care and healing in the 1980s. Science says the benefits of forest bathing are derived from essential oils called phytoncides with antimicrobial and antifungal properties, which are given off by trees and plants in the forest. These oils protect trees and humans by boosting the immune system, fighting disease, and reducing stress. Just being near trees can provide benefits.
At Bradley Woods one morning last year, I walked in the meadows in complete silence. Bees buzzed in clover, and tall grasses and native plants whispered in the breeze. In the woods, I crouched close to tree root hollows to see the spongy bright green mosses and noted that some patches were tightly woven like carpet and others were like a stand of bright little saplings. I heard the wind blowing through the leaves in the upper canopy of trees and felt the stickiness of spiderwebs on my face. Rough bark scratched at my hand, and the soft place where a tree had been injured felt like a smooth sanded table. My skin reacted to the differing air temperatures as I moved from sunlit spaces to the dark woods. I heard the skitter of small animals in the undergrowth of leafy plants but never saw them. The air carried the scents of pine and mint, but mostly it just smelled like “green.” The trees stood together like sentries as I moved through their cathedral of entwined branches and wondered what the forest thought of me as I displaced the surface of the sand dirt path.
I was part of a forest bathing session with Certified Forest Therapy Guide Catherine Mangan and seven other women. Bradley Woods Reservation is a Cleveland Metroparks property in North Olmsted and Westlake. The park that humans visit is relatively small, but the surrounding deep forests of birch, maples, oaks, tupelos, and sour gums are a habitat for deer and other wildlife. The centerpiece of the park is Bunns Lake, which was created in 1986 to provide a waterfowl habitat — wings flapped over our heads as the big birds squawked. We met at a picnic shelter near the parking lot.
I’ve always been keenly aware that when I’m in the woods, I feel better. Stress and worry dissipate in the same way that breathing and meditation soothe the central nervous system. While walking in the woods and paying attention to the birds, trees, and plant life, breathing and meditation happen naturally. We have this wonderful connection with nature that is enticing and calming. I wanted to know what I would feel during a “real” guided forest bathing experience.
Back to that walk. We began by creating a sense of community with introductions and talking about what we wanted to gain from the morning. From the beginning, Catherine made it was clear that we were going to explore our relationship with the “more than human world.” Then she told us about the indigenous hunter gatherers and the Ice Age and the formation of the Great Lakes, nothing new, but yes, we live in a special place. Knowing our space, we set out into the grasslands and headed for the trees. During our walk, we were given invitations and spent 10-15 minutes on each one: noticing things that move, holes and hollows, voices of the forest, texture, the forest’s dappled light, letting the heart lead. We stopped along the walkways to share what we connected with when the silence ended. Then we headed back to the picnic table for tea and snacks. The experience has stayed with me months after the event.
Forest Bathing Finder writes of Catherine, “She believes it is through our relationships with ourselves and others that we find opportunities for healing and experience our own unique expression of Life. Believing that each person is on a journey filled with a variety of relationships, Catherine views forest therapy as naturally suited to offering each person the opportunity to explore their relationship with the ‘more than human world’ in a safe, simple and gentle way.” Upcoming walks take place on May 10 at Bradley Woods and on May 25 at Gardenview Horticultural Park.
Ram Dass wrote that “We’re all just walking each other home.” I hear intimacy and love in that statement. Magnificence is all around us if we make time for it. Guided forest bathing is one tool we can use for healing ourselves.
Claudia Taller is a RYT 200 yoga instructor who teaches classes at Rocky River Recreation Center and has been leading workshops and retreats for many years.