The Scientifically Proven Healing Benefits of Forest Bathing

Have you heard of Forest Bathing yet? I’m not talking about going all out naturist and rolling around in the leaves 🍃 (although that does sound like fun!) but rather taking mindful strolls through the woods.

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Shinrin-yoku is a term that means “taking in the forest atmosphere” or “forest bathing.” It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine.

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The idea is simple: if a person simply visits a natural area and walks in a relaxed way there are calming, rejuvenating and restorative benefits to be achieved. 

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We have always known this intuitively. But in the past several decades there have been many scientific studies that are demonstrating the mechanisms behind the healing effects of simply being in wild and natural areas.

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The scientifically-proven benefits of Shinrin-yoku include:

* Boosted immune system functioning, with an increase in the count of the body’s Natural Killer (NK) cells.

* Reduced blood pressure

* Reduced stress

* Improved mood

* Increased ability to focus, even in children with ADHD

* Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness

* Increased energy level

* Improved sleep

Just as impressive are the results that you can experience when you make this part of your regular practice:

* Deeper and clearer intuition

* Increased flow of energy

* Increased capacity to communicate with the land and its species

* Increased flow of eros/life force

* Deepening of friendships

* Overall increase in sense of happiness

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Stimulate your senses, breathe in the damp earthy smells, connect, relax and unwind this weekend.

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Info from http://www.shinrin-yoku.org and www.woodlandtrust.org

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