I lowered my day pack, pulled out my sitting mat, and carefully positioned it on a short, weathered log. It was two minutes until beginning my trail assignment. I was volunteering to count the hikers on a trail during a one-hour period so it could be calibrated with the gadgets strategically placed on trees and across the trail to measure hiker numbers. These data are necessary for management plans in the park.
I looked forward to the hike to this assigned spot, but was trepidatious about the hour I was going to sit still and unobtrusively record the number of hikers on a clicker. Much to my surprise, I discovered the longer I sat still, the more I enjoyed the experience. I realized how infrequently I just sit in nature. I love to be in motion hiking to desired landmarks. Stopping to sit pensively has not been my experience.
The trail was not busy. I had plenty of opportunity to “be.” I noticed the ants working diligently to get materials to their mounds. I could smell the damp earth. I heard the occasional buzz of a mosquito or fly as it went about its business. I recognized the screech of a hawk in the distance. I noted the squirrel flitting up and down the lodgepole pines. I heard the crunch of hiking boots on the trail before I saw the hikers.
In describing the experience, a friend noted that I was “forest bathing.” Forest bathing means immersing oneself in nature in a mindful way and using senses to derive benefits for one’s health. It is both a fitness trend and a mindfulness practice. The term emerged in Japan in the 1980s called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). Its purpose was to counter technology burnout and to reconnect residents to the country’s forests.
Many Japanese embrace this form of ecotherapy. Science now supports what people in many other cultures already know: time spent immersed in nature is good for people.
Regardless of whether the term forest bathing is used, the idea is not just for wilderness-lovers like me. I am learning that regardless of where I am, I can slow down in any natural environment and consciously connect with what is around me. I hope to have a lot of forest bathing in the future.