What Is Forest Bathing? The Japanese Practice That Heals Your Mind and Body

Have you heard of forest bathing? 🌿 🌳 🌲

In Japan, it’s called shinrin-yoku, a practice that simply means immersing yourself in the atmosphere of the forest.

No hiking goals. No phone. No pressure. Just your senses and presence.

The idea began in the 1980s as part of Japan’s national health program, encouraging people to spend intentional time in nature to reduce stress and restore balance.

And it works! Research shows forest bathing can:

🌲 Lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels
💓 Improve mood and focus
😌 Reduce anxiety and depression
🧠 Boost immune function

It’s about remembering that you’re part of something bigger, and letting the forest remind your body how to breathe again.

And yes, I fully understand the irony of filming this on my phone. 😉🥴

I forest bathe often, and it’s become a full-body ritual for me. Touching the trees, breathing in the scent of the forest, feeling the sun on my skin or the cool of the shadows. Sometimes I leave crystals as offerings back to the Earth (or maybe for another hiker to find 😉). I’ll meditate, take my shoes off to ground, even lay down under the trees when it feels right. And of course… I never hike without a tarot deck.

“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” Mary Davis

What place feels like peace for you lately?

#ForestBathing #ShinrinYoku #NatureHeals #MindfulMoments #GroundedSpirituality #SlowLiving #DigitalDetox #SoftLife