The practice of forest bathing, also called forest therapy, involves no bathing and isn't led by a therapist but a trained, certified guide or guides. In Japan, the practice is decades old and known as shinrin-yoku, which means "taking in the forest."
Who invented forest bathing?
The term was invented in 1982 by the then Director General of the Agency of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Tomohide Akiyama, who stated that the people of Japan were in need of healing through nature. The idea was also part of a campaign to protect the forests.
Forest Bathing, Nature Time Are Hot Health Advice
As the group walks farther into the grounds the sounds change: birds, insects, wind in the leaves. Things that trigger other senses should come to play as well, such as the scents of the flowers and grass, the colors that pop from tree to tree. Over the course of the evening, the guides will issue four ''invitations'' for participants to commune with nature and, if they wish, share with others what it all means to them.
A woman takes part in a forest-bathing event in North Carolina.
The practice of forest bathing, also called forest therapy, involves no bathing and isn't led by a therapist but a trained, certified guide or guides. In Japan, the practice is decades old and known as shinrin-yoku, which means "taking in the forest." Among the benefits, say practitioners and some researchers, are relaxation, less stress, connections with nature and, perhaps, insights to take home.
Critics often scoff that research about the practice is lacking, but there is growing scientific evidence that getting outside in a natural setting is good for mind-body health. And this back-to-nature movement isn't confined to forest therapy. Some medical doctors have trained to become forest therapy guides. Other health care providers are connecting their patients to nature in other ways. An Ohio cardiologist, frustrated that he couldn't convince his patients to exercise, founded Walk with a Doc in 2005, which now has 500 chapters. A Washington, D.C., pediatrician writes prescriptions for his patients to go to the park -- as do the more than 300 doctors and other health care providers who have signed on to his Park Rx America program.
The Forest Therapy Experience
Ben Page is used to people being skeptical of the idea of forest therapy, because anyone can head out to a forest or park and relax. Page, who founded Shinrin Yoku Los Angeles and is director of training for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, says ''a public park can be a rather distracting place. When you have a guide, it's a little bit like [the difference between] going to a yoga class with a teacher and watching a yoga video."
The association, which Amos Clifford launched in 2012, now has 625 guides either fully trained or in training, including 361 in the U.S. "In the last couple of years, we have had an increasing number of physicians who have trained with us and become guides," Clifford says. Other forest therapy associations, not affiliated with Clifford's, have also formed.
While Page has led forest therapy sessions in the Angeles National Forest and other locales, the popular arboretum sessions make the event more accessible to urban residents who want the opportunity closer to home, he says.
Forest Bathing, Urban Style
The group at the arboretum is diverse -- young adults, seniors, couples, singles. They first gather in a semicircle by the waterfall to exchange brief introductions.
The guides first encourage participants to relax their muscles from head to toe, and then notice the sounds, sights, and smells around them -- a rushing waterfall, a full moon hidden by an overcast sky, an aromatic herb garden, a rose garden.
The second invitation is to wander in the garden for 15 minutes.
Next is a stroll through the paved herb garden, with an invitation to pick something.
Finally, the group is invited to find a place that looks inviting and sit for a few minutes. Doing nothing for at least a few minutes can be healthy, the guides remind the group.
Walk With a Doc
David Sabgir, MD, a cardiologist in Columbus, OH, was frustrated that he could not convince most of his patients to do regular physical activity. "People had great intentions when they left the office," he says.
Then he hit upon a bold idea. He would ask patients to walk with him. That was in 2005, and ''we had 101 for the very first one." It's grown to 500 chapters worldwide, most of those in the U.S. The doctor leads the walk and gives a brief talk on a health topic. "We encourage people to walk 30 or 45 minutes if they can," Sabgir says. Unless bad weather forces the walk into a mall, the activity is outside, he says.
"It's a perfect way to break the ice with patients," he says. "There is something really special about getting outside the walls of the office, and being in nature." The feedback from patients, he says, is good. "They say they love it, and it's always in all caps."
Park Rx
Robert Zarr, MD, was also trying to get his patients -- children, teens and young adults -- moving and outside. The Washington, D.C., pediatrician formally launched Park Rx America in April 2017 and now counts about 325 health care providers -- mostly MDs, but also nurses, nurse practitioners, and physical therapists, among others -- who take part.
Who invented forest bathing?
The term was invented in 1982 by the then Director General of the Agency of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, Tomohide Akiyama, who stated that the people of Japan were in need of healing through nature. The idea was also part of a campaign to protect the forests.
Forest Bathing, Nature Time Are Hot Health Advice
As the group walks farther into the grounds the sounds change: birds, insects, wind in the leaves. Things that trigger other senses should come to play as well, such as the scents of the flowers and grass, the colors that pop from tree to tree. Over the course of the evening, the guides will issue four ''invitations'' for participants to commune with nature and, if they wish, share with others what it all means to them.
A woman takes part in a forest-bathing event in North Carolina.
The practice of forest bathing, also called forest therapy, involves no bathing and isn't led by a therapist but a trained, certified guide or guides. In Japan, the practice is decades old and known as shinrin-yoku, which means "taking in the forest." Among the benefits, say practitioners and some researchers, are relaxation, less stress, connections with nature and, perhaps, insights to take home.
Critics often scoff that research about the practice is lacking, but there is growing scientific evidence that getting outside in a natural setting is good for mind-body health. And this back-to-nature movement isn't confined to forest therapy. Some medical doctors have trained to become forest therapy guides. Other health care providers are connecting their patients to nature in other ways. An Ohio cardiologist, frustrated that he couldn't convince his patients to exercise, founded Walk with a Doc in 2005, which now has 500 chapters. A Washington, D.C., pediatrician writes prescriptions for his patients to go to the park -- as do the more than 300 doctors and other health care providers who have signed on to his Park Rx America program.
The Forest Therapy Experience
Ben Page is used to people being skeptical of the idea of forest therapy, because anyone can head out to a forest or park and relax. Page, who founded Shinrin Yoku Los Angeles and is director of training for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, says ''a public park can be a rather distracting place. When you have a guide, it's a little bit like [the difference between] going to a yoga class with a teacher and watching a yoga video."
The association, which Amos Clifford launched in 2012, now has 625 guides either fully trained or in training, including 361 in the U.S. "In the last couple of years, we have had an increasing number of physicians who have trained with us and become guides," Clifford says. Other forest therapy associations, not affiliated with Clifford's, have also formed.
While Page has led forest therapy sessions in the Angeles National Forest and other locales, the popular arboretum sessions make the event more accessible to urban residents who want the opportunity closer to home, he says.
Forest Bathing, Urban Style
The group at the arboretum is diverse -- young adults, seniors, couples, singles. They first gather in a semicircle by the waterfall to exchange brief introductions.
The guides first encourage participants to relax their muscles from head to toe, and then notice the sounds, sights, and smells around them -- a rushing waterfall, a full moon hidden by an overcast sky, an aromatic herb garden, a rose garden.
The second invitation is to wander in the garden for 15 minutes.
Next is a stroll through the paved herb garden, with an invitation to pick something.
Finally, the group is invited to find a place that looks inviting and sit for a few minutes. Doing nothing for at least a few minutes can be healthy, the guides remind the group.
Walk With a Doc
David Sabgir, MD, a cardiologist in Columbus, OH, was frustrated that he could not convince most of his patients to do regular physical activity. "People had great intentions when they left the office," he says.
Then he hit upon a bold idea. He would ask patients to walk with him. That was in 2005, and ''we had 101 for the very first one." It's grown to 500 chapters worldwide, most of those in the U.S. The doctor leads the walk and gives a brief talk on a health topic. "We encourage people to walk 30 or 45 minutes if they can," Sabgir says. Unless bad weather forces the walk into a mall, the activity is outside, he says.
"It's a perfect way to break the ice with patients," he says. "There is something really special about getting outside the walls of the office, and being in nature." The feedback from patients, he says, is good. "They say they love it, and it's always in all caps."
Park Rx
Robert Zarr, MD, was also trying to get his patients -- children, teens and young adults -- moving and outside. The Washington, D.C., pediatrician formally launched Park Rx America in April 2017 and now counts about 325 health care providers -- mostly MDs, but also nurses, nurse practitioners, and physical therapists, among others -- who take part.
No comments:
Post a Comment