Why Go Out into the Woods? Shinrin-Yoku, that’s why

I have always loved nature, and I love taking a walk outside in the woods.  Unbeknownst to me, it’s even got a name – forest bathing or in Japanese,  Shinrin-yoku meaning forest medicine .  This is the practice of immersing yourself in nature and using all your senses – sound and smell as well as sight-  will re-vitalize and restore you body and soul. I already do this, I just didn’t know it had a name!  Forest bathing…  To me, it’s a walk in the woods.  I know I feel less stressed and more relaxed when I spend time out side.

Although the effects can  last up to a week, I find for myself I need a little bit of quiet time, bird song, and the smells brought by a breeze more often than every 7 days.  Even if it’s just 15 or 20 minutes on my back deck watching song birds.

So on a recent expedition outside, I took some bird photo’s: a pair of Canadian geese, the goose and gander  with the goslings….. a Great White Egret, wading and then moving to the other side of the pond.

 

 

 

 

And I also looked around at my flowers around the house.  I’m not a great gardener, but I get by okay.  I love the peonies that are decedents of those my mom had on the farm, and what she called a “pea shrub” which I found out years later is really called Standing Sweet Pea or Bristly locust (look at the prickly spiny stems),  Robinia hispida, sub species Robinia elliottii rosea. 

These plants from my childhood bring me happiness and fond memories.  My blood pressure goes down willingly.

 

And these peonies have a wonderful smell, not like to many hybrids today that have lost the scent.

 

And the bleeding hearts, though not decedents from the farm flowers,  remind me of the farmhouse.

 

You’ve probably guessed, I like pink flowers.

Back to the benefits of nature – it relaxes the body, lowers blood pressure, improves mood and can make you happier.  Much like meditation or yoga, the spirit is uplifted and, when less stressed, you will sleep better.

Even children with ADHD are better able to focus and concentrate after exposure to a forest.  How cool is that?

Just think what it could do for you.

So the next time the world is stressing  you out, and you feel overwhelmed, take 15 -30 minutes to go walk outside, even if not in a forest.  Try a park, your neighborhood, the back yard.

Smell the trees, flowers and grass. The new mow hay in a hayfield. The smell of the barn.  Feel the breeze or wind on your face. watch what it does to trees and grass.  Reach out to feel the fronds of a fern, or caress a flower.  Sit quietly and  listen – what can you hear, besides noises of a hectic life? Birds? The wind in the trees? Crickets? Frogs? In the woods, maybe a deer snorting, or a fox yipping.

Guaranteed you can go back to what you were doing in a better mood and lifted spirits.  In the woods, a park, even your back yard, just let go of everything else and just be.