Forest bathing
The hubby and I love walking to the little nearby forest 🌳 (not today though— it’s raining cats and dogs!) We try and get in our weekly dose of forest bathing (or shinrin-yoku). It’s the Japanese practice of spending time in nature with the intention of making a mindful connection.
A typical session involves a slow, contemplative walk while absorbing nature with all the senses. The purpose is not physical exertion such as on a hike. Just tune in to your surroundings, open your senses, and bring your awareness to the present.
There have been a few studies on this practice showing benefits in blood pressure reduction and improved mood. When a forest is not close by, parks, gardens, and wilderness areas are also great places to forest bathe.
I do enjoy spending time in the woods. As long as I'm away from people and traffic it recharges me. Thanks for the reminder.
It's always good to get out there and find peace. Its one of the problems of modern living . Sadly they are now talking about kids with "Nature Deficit Disorder"
Such a cool concept (shinrin-yoku). Its amazing how well preserved the forests are in Japan. They treat them with a lot of respect. The forest cover in Japan is extremely high at ~69% (the only other developed nations with such a high forest cover percentage are Finland and Sweden).