Just breathe deeply …
Some time ago, when I was living and working near Tokyo, I got to know a Japanese bullet train driver. Roshi was a witty joker, a rabid opera lover and a layback kind of guy. He drove trains on the Tōhoku Shinkansen line.
Roshi’s job carried a lot of responsibility and daily stress. To retain his sanity and well-being, he and his buddies regularly headed off to a forest region that featured natural hot springs.
Deep in the forest they’d set up camp, get naked and dig a hole big enough to fit everyone in. Then they’d sit late into the night, drinking iced beer and talking shite as the hot springs worked their magic. Roshi laughingly told me that getting rat-faced on beer was crucial to the cure. It facilitated communication not just with his buddies, but with Mother Nature herself.
Shinrin-Yoku – known as forest bathing has gone mainstream. The idea is you simply walk into a forest, relax and let go. Japanese beer and hot springs aren’t mandatory. Many converts believe forest bathing can lead to feelings of well-being, reduced stress and nourishing rejuvenating benefits.
The Japanese and other cultures have appreciated the benefits of being in nature for thousands of years but the contemporary version of Shinrin-Yoku became very popular in Japan in the 1980’s. The West – late to the party – has finally caught up. There are now associations of Nature and Forest Therapy in America and healthcare professionals are being trained to maximise the popularity of something which is very simple and highly effective.
M.Amos Clifford has written a book titled, ‘Your Guide to Forest Bathing’ in which forest bathing is highly ritualized. For example he advises – we should flatter a tree before asking for advice on relationships or other personal matters. And we should ‘assume the whole forest is listening in.’
Oh really? Clifford is not being comedic. He’s serious.
The health benefits of forest bathing have been intensely researched and yes, there are many physical and mental health benefits to be derived from simply being in nature. However, there’s no research proving that creating a forest-bathing ritual is actually any better than abandoning your mobile phone and simply strolling through a lovely pristine forest while deeply breathing in fresh air.
Professor Qing Li, a professor at Japan’s Nippon Medical School maintains the Japanese version of Shinrin-Yoku is less structured than what’s being practiced in the West. He recommends two to four hours walking in a forest at a slow pace and deep breathing.
If time is not an issue he also recommends a two-night/one month forest camping expedition to maximise your experience. But if none of these options are doable you can always resort to using diffusers at home in order to inhale cedar and other essential oils. Apparently the key to Shinrin-Yoku lies with the phytoncides that forest trees emit – it’s the phytoncides that boost immune function and anti-cancer proteins.
When I visited Dorrigo National Park, I thought about Shinrin-Yoku. The rainforest is situated about 60 kilometres south-west of Coffs Harbour, in the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.
The Dorrigo Rainforest is known for being the habitat of rare and threatened species. There are numerous ground dwelling birds, including lyrebirds. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to see any but I was chuffed to hear that there are red-necked pademelons, and coloured wompoo fruit-doves hiding out in the forest.
As we walked through the undergrowth, I read the warning signs created by forest rangers. There were cunning plants that might spike us and an extensive list of the voracious insects eager to chomp into our flesh.
The forest is also home to plants such as strangler figs, giant stinging trees and prickly ash. After a while my imagination seized control and the benign rustling noises became venomous snakes slithering through the fallen leaves.
So, the pertinent question is – did I manage to breathe in the forest and achieve a state of Zen relaxation? Hell no, I didn’t. But I loved being in the presence of 600-year-old trees while inhaling pristine air and listening to the native birds chortling and carrying on.
Just thinking about those trees can recreate a meditative state of calm. But it only works if I close my eyes and totally focus on slow deep breathing. Five slow counts of breath in … hold for slow three counts … exhale slowly … repeat …
photo: Landscape at sunrise near Mole Creek, Tasmania.