Hikers in a beech forest in Huesca. /
analysis
People who walk through the woods receive a ‘health bath’ that makes them feel better, they even feel that something changes in them
Regardless of whether we know a lot or little about them, there is one thing that everyone who has ever walked through a forest will agree on: that time, long or short, changes something in me. Those who walk through natural environments often describe that this activity makes them feel better, with less stress and more peace. This is not accidental; we know that direct contact with nature has benefits for physical (Twohig-Bennett & Jones 2018) and psychological (Kotera et al. 2020) health.
The opposite phenomenon is also confirmed in the scientific literature: a predominantly urban lifestyle away from nature increases the risk of suffering from ailments such as obesity, diabetes and depression (Hidaka 2012).
In fact, these noncommunicable diseases are currently among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity globally (World Health Organization 2018) and nationally (Ministry of Health 2020).
These data are especially important if we take into account that the urban population currently represents more than 50% of the world population, and this proportion is expected to continue growing (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division 2019).
In this context, the public policies of the European Union in terms of health contemplate promoting healthier lifestyles, inviting people to change their attitudes and behaviors (European Parliament and European Commission 2014).
logic is not enough
The logic is clear: if certain habits lead us to worsen our health, they will have to be modified. But logic by itself is not enough. Who has not broken New Year’s resolutions that were very healthy and praiseworthy? Who hasn’t ditched a gym membership or a diet that they initially eagerly embraced?
The very rhythm of life in our society, with its rush and excess of tasks, does not make it easy for us to adopt healthier habits. However, in this same unflattering scenario, a proposal is being made known that comes from the East.
In recent years, the so-called “forest baths”, a Spanish translation of the Japanese word shinrin-yoku, have become popular in various European countries. This activity, originally from the Japanese country, is defined as “the practice of walking slowly through the forest” (Miyazaki 2018).
Although it was born as a way to promote Japanese forests, scientific studies were developed to understand why and how forest masses are beneficial to human health. Currently, the Japanese health system includes forest bathing as a therapy that can be medically prescribed, and there are more than sixty forest therapy centers in the country (Miyazaki, 2018).
“Although the ideal is to be able to access wild places, we must not forget the potential of urban green spaces, whose positive effects range from mental health to academic performance”
What is it that differentiates the forest baths from other proposals? I would summarize it in two interconnected elements: environment and rhythm. This activity can only be carried out in a natural environment, which is why it in itself entails the aforementioned benefits.
Although the ideal is to be able to access wild places, we must not forget the potential of urban green spaces, whose positive effects range from mental health (Guan et al 2017) to academic performance (Kuo et al 2018).
The second differentiating element of forest bathing is the pace at which they take place. Typically, in a forest bath, great distances are not traveled (about 2-3 kilometers in an hour and a half), nor are great differences in level. It is about walking slowly, without physical effort, to focus all our attention on what our senses perceive.
The forest bathing guides have the role of setting that leisurely pace, and intersperse activities that encourage the use of the five senses to connect with the environment, and to which the participants are invited, never forced, to join. In this sense, it is an activity that is aligned with others such as mindfulness or contemplation. There is no competition or brands to beat, not even their own.
It gives an opportunity to reconnect with oneself and with nature, which improves our well-being and renews us for our day to day. And in the midst of all this, the opportunity perhaps to discover that “something” that really changes me, that gives me the drive to improve from within and not as an external imposition.
A bird song, the drops that adorn a spider’s web, the touch of moss, the smell of wet earth… Nature speaks many languages, which say something to those who stop to listen. That stopping sounds utopian to us, impossible at the rate we’re going, countercultural. But is not; who has tried it knows it, and repeats.
www.hoy.es
Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.