The breath in the woods
Whenever you need to relax, close your eyes. Think about nature. You might see you standing in the middle of a forest. The sun shines thru the trees and breaks the light into hundreds of yellow sparkles. A breath of fresh air never hurts. How does this taste? That has always been our room. Time for relaxing. Potential for inspiration. Soak up the energy into our heart and soul. How does the sun feel on your skin?
This is what nature does for you and me. Results of more and more research in recent years have shown just how beneficial spending time in the great outdoors is for human health and wellbeing. Science confirms a piece of time-honored folk wisdom.
IT’S TIME FOR A WALK IN THE WOODS!
A refreshing steady breeze blows through the branch of the trees at Arctic Circle. Sometimes the wind grabs hold of the forest where you stand. The trees sway gently in time with nature. Every now and then, slight creaking and knocking sounds can be heard in a time when we have distanced ourselves. You gaze out over a bluish twilight landscape and watch the trees dancing gently in the wind. You somehow feel, as if you are out there, as a part of the scene. A welcoming fireplace is waiting out there. You put the wood on the fire and cook coffee for you and your loved friends and family with you. For a little while, you hold the breath. Then you merely inhaling and exhaling with joy.
In Japan, the practice of forest bathing is well established. In a time when there is a Japanese word for “death by overwork,” karoshi, one possible means of counteracting the effects of the latter, is shinrin-yoku – forest bathing. Today some 60 specially designated forest bathing parks in Japan are protected from deforestation, preserved to help people to find tranquillity, harmony, and new perspectives.
PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND THE NEXT PINE TREE. IT FEELS FAMILIAR, AS A PART OF YOURSELF.
According to immunologist Qing Li, smelling the fragrance of the forest and breathing in the natural aromatherapy of phytoncides increases our white blood cell count. Another researcher in Japan, Yoshifumi Miyazaki, has shown that the wood has a significant positive effect on our autonomic nervous system. You relax up to 50 percent better in the forest than in an urban environment, and cortisol (stress hormone) concentrations are markedly reduced. In fact, it isn’t really a matter of raising or lowering stress levels when we are in the forest, it has more to do with reaching a reasonable level. Quite simply, the human body has evolved to live closer to nature.
But it isn’t just in the forest, or forest bathing, that is good for us. Here in Scandinavia, Professor Terry Hartig, at Uppsala University, has demonstrated that being in wide-open spaces, even snow-covered ones, has a positive effect on cognitive function. Professor Hartig has shown that human subjects recover very quickly from fatigue, which is a result of intensive concentration, after a mere half-hour in a natural outdoor setting. Spending 30 minutes of your lunch hour walking in a park or similar relaxing environment can have a hugely positive impact on your physical and mental wellbeing. However, this is not always easily explained or understood.
One of the earliest theories, presented by Kaplan and Kaplan, as to why we feel so well in a natural environment is that this is a simple and undemanding activity. A beautiful landscape fascinates us, and we don’t have to focus on it to be affected by it; instead, we need only immerse ourselves in its restorative qualities. And according to researchers in Germany, among others, Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg in Mannheim, this should be an essential consideration for urban planners. For the good of our mental wellbeing, we need more, and perhaps better, restorative green spaces, as you can find in the region of the polar circle in Swedish Lapland.
THE WOODS ARE MEDITATIVE, YOU CAN FEEL THAT, RIGHT?!
In the forest, mindful walking and movements are a must – you are not working anymore. You have to immerse yourself into the environment and become, in a way, part of it; otherwise, you will find yourself tripping, falling and hitting your head against branches. Mindfulness is essential in the forest, and you can’t take your mind off what you are doing. Being in the moment physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The forest forces you to be there and then, at the moment. You cannot take your mind off the task. I believe this addresses a big problem in today’s society - a lack of attention and focus. People have trouble focusing on one thing and one thing only as they have their minds cluttered with countless thoughts. They go to bed thinking about work, they wake up thinking about work. Are you one of those people?
A forest is a great place, so you HAVE to be physically, mentally, and emotionally at the moment. It gives you the chance to clear your mind of everything, feeling an almost instant release of physical and mental stress and tension.
Such benefits include relaxation, improving mood, stress management, improved focus, reduced inflammation in the body, and relaxation of internal organs. This connection with the earth is called Earthing or Grounding. Of course, more research needs to be done, but there is quite a lot out there.
Regardless of the research, anyone who spends time outdoors feels less stressed and more grounded. And that’s how pretty much everyone feels.