Do You Actually Bathe in Forest Bathing?

When I first heard about forest bathing, the first question that came to my mind was, “Is there actually bathing involved?” The answer is no. I can assure you there is no actual bathing involved; however, taking a bath in the forest does sound very peaceful. As you immerse yourself in water when you bathe, you are immersing yourself in nature during forest bathing.

Forest bathing also known as forest therapy, originated in Japan in the 1980s and goes by the name shinrin-yoku. Shinrin in Japanese means forest and yoku means bath. It is the simple and therapeutic act of spending time and taking in the forest through our senses. It was created in response to the uprise of workplaces switching to the use of technology, causing people to spend more time inside on their screens and less time outside with nature. Technology is still a dominating force today, but not just for work, for pleasure too. Even though many of us may not relaize it, this is having adverse health effects on our society.

The hope was and still is getting people back outside to reconnect with their roots. While using our senses to connect with nature, we are reawakening our body and soul. Forest bathing encourages us to check out of the busy world for a bit. No phones, no computers, no expectations, no goals, just being as we are in the present moment. I don’t know about you, but this sounds refreshingly delightful to me :)