Forest Bathing Basics for Indiana Parks and Recreation
History: Forest bathing, or Shinrin-Yoku, was created in Japan in the 1980s, in response to an acute health crisis. Studies were performed on participants in the Hinoki forests of the Japanese Alps, studying salivary cortisol levels, HR variability, and blood pressure. The findings suggested that time spent in nature, mindfully, would benefit the immune system, decrease stress hormones, increase HR variability, and even lower blood pressure. Since that time, many studies have been done and are noted in books by Richard Louv, Florence Williams, and so many others. Some studies on the human/nature connection have been performed as close as Northwestern University by Dr. Terry Horton and by Dr. Ming (Francis) Kuo at the University of Illinois and Urbana, Champaign.
Who: Forest bathing is for everyone and can be made accessible to all ages and abilities. Consider doing walks with people on paths that are paved, trails, staying in a meadow area, or even in a bird-watching room at a park. Everyone can benefit from forest bathing practices and skills. Young children, starting around age 5, can be guided in groups provided there is enough supervision. Supervising adults should attend the walk as participants, not as babysitters, watching children only to keep them safe in an outdoor space. Older adults and those with chronic illness can be accommodated by minimizing movement and staying on level ground.
What: Forest bathing offers a way to practice mindfulness out in nature. Forest bathing includes skills to find stillness in the mind and body by using a series of invitations that are varied and flexible. Forest bathing also incorporates play. Interacting with other participants, flowers, trees, grass, water, and beyond, in playful ways, opens us up to a kind of relaxation and healthy release of emotions and often encourages reflection in participants and recollection of playful and meaningful moments.
Where: As stated above, forest therapy walks can be guided outdoors on trails, in meadows, near lakes or ponds, or even inside. The “outdoors” can be brought indoors for populations that require that kind of environment. Bird-watching rooms and other rooms with a view of greenspace are helpful if working inside. Forest bathing can be done during all seasons, but accommodations are required for the wintertime ice and cold, ensuring the safety and comfort of the participants. As a guide, don’t allow yourself to be too attached to the place, but more to the flexibility of the practice. If there are too many mosquitoes in the forest to enjoy it, then stay on the edges, in a grassy meadow. If there is too much snow to walk through safely, find one area to remain for the entire walk, having participants wander only a short distance during invitations. The “where” matters less than you might think. A successful forest therapy walk can be guided in a retirement home, in a room with windows and a flower for each participant. We are limited only by our imaginations!
When: All times of day and all times of the year! Full moon, new moon, solstice, morning, afternoon, in light rain or snow, or broad sunlight, forest bathing is appropriate. Be sensitive to the needs of the participants and prepare for the weather. In winter, some guides like to use meadows near a forest, to have a small fire for participants to gather while sharing their comments between invitations. If no warming station is available, bring hand and feet warmers and extra gloves and hats for participants.
Why: Relaxation of the body and nervous system is the top priority. Play and exploration are also important, especially for adults. Lowering the stress hormone, cortisol, allows for better immune function. Exposure to natural spaces, especially with conifer trees, has been particularly researched for its interactions with the human immune system. Exposure to green space and exploration with all the senses is healing to both mind and body.
How: There is an art to guiding a forest bathing session. Steps to prepare include knowing your landscape well. What animals and plants live there? Be able to identify harmful plants for participants before the walk for safety reasons. Find a place where you feel at home and comfortable; preferably somewhere you spend a considerable amount of time, alone.
Consider the comfort of your participants: Have sit pads, stools, or camping chairs available for participants if the landscape doesn’t provide seating (such as logs or large rocks).
Each invitation is followed by a question for reflection: What are you noticing? Allow each participant to share their thoughts, making sure to provide space for those who do not desire to share. Use a stone, leaf, flower, stick, etc. to pass around the circle for sharing. Only the person with the rocks speaks, and then passes the rock (or other items). Confidentiality of information shared in the circle must be assured!
The order of invitations is deliberate. Each can be accompanied by time for guided breathing together if you wish.
Give a brief history of the practice, with information about the land, the indigenous tribal history, the watershed, etc., and a bit of information about yourself and your connection with the land. Invite Participants to share their names and their reasons for attending (using a circle form). After the share, have them get comfortable standing, sitting, or lying on the ground.
Nature Meditation (15-20 min): Use the QR code on the PDF for familiarity and then, using your senses at the moment, go through each, making note of things you notice, inviting others to join you. Begin and end with sight, having them make note of the color palette of the landscape, the textures of the plant life, skies, and earth. Go through listening, touch, smell, and taste with their eyes closed if they are comfortable. Lastly, have them open their eyes and notice the landscape again. Gather and share.
Circle question: What are you noticing?Walking Meditation (15 min): Invite participants to follow you, giving ten (or so) feet of space between each person. Invite them to walk slowly, and silently, observing the movement of the surroundings. You can walk around a small pond, along a trail, or even in a grassy meadow. Slowing down the body slows the mind. Before starting to walk, remind them to breathe with each step. Gather and share.
Circle question: What are you noticing?Spontaneous (or planned) invitations (30-45 min): This is where you get to use your creativity to enjoy the moment. Invite people to join you in immersing yourselves in one sense at a time, to explore the land. Some ideas: Invite them to feel the bark of the trees, notice the difference in textures, drop rocks in a pond, gazing at the moving, concentric circles. Invite them to lie down under a tree and gaze through the leafy branches. Each season offers its invitations. Have fun! Gather and share after each invitation.
Circle question: What are you noticing?Sit Spot or Wander: For the remaining 20 minutes, invite participants to find a place to sit alone, in silence. If they would rather walk slowly, that is fine. Encourage them to remain in their senses, touching the grass and the trees, smelling the earth and the flowers, gazing at the contours of the land. Remind them to breathe in the gift of the air from the green things surrounding them.
Tea: End each session with a foraged tea, seasonal, if possible. White pine, lemon mint, raspberry leaf, red clover flowers, and wild blackberries are a few options that may feel familiar enough to participants. Feel free to use local maple syrup or honey to sweeten. Offer simple snacks as well. Before sharing tea, introduce them to the tea plants you chose, sharing some history and medicinal value. Invite them to share their experiences with their sit spots or wanders. When it is time, dismiss with an invitation to continue the practice alone until they join another session in the future.
This material was created and designed by Christina Knecht (Owner, Wild Communion, LLC).
She would appreciate if it was shared widely and practiced