Into the woods
Shinrin Yoku is japanese and means "forest bathing." The practice has been popular in Japan since the 1980s and is being researched up to now to prove its medical effects on our organism. Today, forest bathing is internationally recognized. And since it is quite easy to practice, it can be perceived as a magical tool to bring our inner selves, often flooded with stimuli, to rest.
But it is not only our olfactory sense that is stimulated as soon as we are surrounded by leaves and bushes, when we look at the swaying treetops above us, listen to the rustling branches and feel the gentle breeze and the light on our skin, that falls through the canopy of leaves in light rays.
The forest is moving all our senses on different levels – if we only quietly enter its midst and let it work its magic.
The essence of Shinrin Yoku
This is the essence of Shinrin Yoku: forest bathing. The term was coined by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries about 40 years ago.
But why exactly is there such a strong interest in the forest in Japan in particular? In fact, the island country is the industrial country with the second-largest forest area after Finland and also one of the most arboreous areas in the whole world.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise that scientists in Japan have a special fascination with how forests affect people.
One of the pioneers in terms of Shinrin Yoku is Dr. Qing Li. He is professor at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo and holds, among other positions, the presidency of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine.
One of his studies from 2005 revealed that spending time in the woods has a positive effect on our immune system.
But why exactly is there such a strong interest in the forest in Japan in particular? In fact, the island country is the industrial country with the second-largest forest area after Finland and also one of the most arboreous areas in the whole world.
So it doesn’t come as a surprise that scientists in Japan have a special fascination with how forests affect people.
One of the pioneers in terms of Shinrin Yoku is Dr. Qing Li. He is professor at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo and holds, among other positions, the presidency of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine.
One of his studies from 2005 revealed that spending time in the woods has a positive effect on our immune system.
