Forest Bathing: What It Is and Why You Should Try It

About Tori Thurmond

Tori Thurmond combines her creative writing background with her marketing experience in her role as the Content Specialist at Brookdale. When she's not writing, she's probably spending time with her two cats or knitting.

Have you ever had a bad day or a busy week and found yourself feeling a bit better after getting outside? Or have you ever spent a weekend hiking a local trail or camping in your favorite spot to feel rejuvenated? Well, you’re not the only one! Turns out, spending time amongst the trees can actually be therapeutic. One version of this practice is called forest bathing.

You may have heard of the traditional Japanese concepts Yugen, an awareness of the world around you that evokes deep emotions that can’t be expressed with words, Komorebi, which translates to “sunlight filtering through trees” or Wabi Sabi, the beauty of imperfection. These three terms are the basis of forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, a concept created in the early 1980s.

Shinrin-yoku means “bathing in the forest atmosphere,” so the practice is about connecting with nature through your senses.

Because forest bathing hasn’t been around for very long, there’s limited research on the possible physical health benefits the practice can have. However, the research that exists is promising. For example, one study suggested that forest bathing could reduce cortisol levels, and another suggested that forest bathing could increase levels of cancer-killing proteins and immune cells.

Forest bathing could also benefit your mental health. Research has shown that the practice can improve concentration as well as reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Plus, when is spending a little time with the trees a bad thing? If you’re ready to reap the possible benefits of forest bathing, here are a few tips to make the most of your experience.

What do I do while forest bathing?

Don’t worry if you don’t consider yourself an “outdoorsy person.” Forest bathing doesn’t need to involve camping or hiking—or taking a bath in your local creek, thankfully. Instead, you can go for a leisurely stroll, find a nice place to sit or even do some relaxing yoga or tai chi. One of your goals for forest bathing should be to calm down your nervous system which should reduce your heart rate and blood pressure.

How long do I need to forest bathe?

While spending whatever time you can manage outside can help you relax and unwind, forest bathing seems to be most beneficial when individuals can spend several hours in the forest regularly. In fact, Qing Li, a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo who has spent time researching forest bathing, suggests that spending two to six hours in the woods could help participants gain the most benefits from the practice. However, if you can’t dedicate that much of your time to the forest, take just a few minutes of your day once or twice a week to get outside and practice mindfulness or meditation.

Where’s the best spot to forest bathe?

Ideally, you’d be able to forest bathe deep in a forest, surrounded by thick trees and nature sounds. But not everyone has the benefit of living next to a fairytale-esque forest. The benefits of walking in an urban park may not be quite as impressive as forest bathing in a more traditional setting, but spending time in your local park can improve your mood and reduce stress. Do your best to spend some time outside and take in the sights and sounds of nature, whatever that may look like for you right now.