Many people are familiar with the benefits of being in nature, but forest therapy goes a step further than a simple walk in the woods.
The practice of “forest washing” began in Japan in the 1980s, when the country began to transition from a pastoral to a technological culture.
It is described as the therapeutic relaxation process that immerses people in their natural environment and encourages them to engage their senses to connect with nature.
“They coined the term ‘shinrin-yoku,’ which means bathing in the forest atmosphere through your senses,” said Ronna Schneberger, owner of Forest Fix in Canmore, and a forest bathing instructor for the Nature and Therapy Association of forests.
Schneberger says there are many health benefits to forest bathing, some of which have been backed up by studies, including the benefits of inhaling aromatic compounds released by plants called phytoncides.
“When we spend time in nature, it can help reduce your cortisol levels, which is your stress hormone. It can help balance your blood pressure, lower your heart rate. It can reset your nervous system,” he said. she.
“Our body, our mind, our spirit, somehow recalibrates to our natural state of being, which is peace and tranquility.”
CTV News joined Schneberger as she led a small group through practice in the woods in Canmore.
Participants were invited to tune in to their senses in different ways, such as lying or sitting and observing what is moving in the forest or listening to the sounds of birds and the wind.
“Just to clean the dust off the road, people are jogging to relax. It just helps them get down to their bodies,” she said.
“It really helps move people from a state of stress to a state of calm.”
– Forest bathing is a therapeutic relaxation practice or process where one spends time in a forest or natural atmosphere. Simmi Latulippe took part in the practice and says that bathing in the forest helped her to restore and connect with the earth.
“Just to be calm, to be able to be a little more attentive when we walk, to be a little more attentive when we hear and see.
“It’s where you give thanks to the earth. We are where you feel at ease.”
She understands people may be skeptical, but says she’s convinced a forest bath would change that.
“You have to try it. If you try it, you will change. If you try it, you will have an ‘ah ha’ moment.”
Schneberger has been giving guided tours for years, but says the practice is growing in popularity, especially after the pandemic when doctors prescribe time out for clients.
“During COVID, we could all see the need to get outside. We all know that spending time in nature is good for us. This special flavor, if you will, of getting into nature and being guided. .. it offers a little more than doing it yourself, because as a guide, I’ve taken you through a process, maybe you’ve gone through it, maybe you haven’t.”
Dr. Susan Lea-Makenny is an integrative family practitioner in Calgary and says she recommends forest bathing for her clients.
“Many of my patients tell me they like nature and get out there often, but I tell them, ‘This is a little different, this is a little more,'” she said.
“One of the things that has certainly been important to me as a physician and recommending it to patients is that there is really good science, really good evidence, for its therapeutic benefits.”
Schneberger has accommodated a variety of clients from individuals in Alberta, to burned-out CEOS and corporate groups as far away as the United Kingdom.
“It helps bring people back so that when they show up together, they show up calm and relaxed and not stressed,” she said.
“I’ve had groups hire me to do this before a longer leadership program, and it helps solidify the team and then when they get into challenging conversations. It works like a charm because they’re relaxed.”
Morgan Craig-Broadwith, a Calgary HR leader and chief wellness officer and owner of Live Active, says she recommends forest bathing for both employees and employers.
“I see great value (in it) for everyone, especially in the workplace where the intensity has increased,” she said.
“When you actually give yourself space and time and protect yourself from all that distraction and stimulation, it’s amazing what can happen.
“I think giving space for that in workspaces gives time for creativity and connection to creativity and time off comes new ideas, innovation and knowledge.”
Schneberger says there is a benefit to orientation through practice, but says people can learn to do it on their own, even in their own backyard.
“It sounds really simple and it is, but it works,” she said.
“I honestly think that’s the low-hanging fruit of mental health, it’s the easiest thing you can do.”
To find a guide in your area, you can visit the Nature Therapy and Forestry Association of Canada.
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Image Source : calgary.ctvnews.ca