Benefits of Forest Bathing

IN her book, Moving your DNA, Katy Bowman explains that “Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing,’ is the process of making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest. Heavily researched in Japan, forest-bathing has been shown to promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate and blood pressure, and a reduction of ‘technostress,’ as measured by a reduction in cerebral activity. While anyone who has spent a few hours wandering out in nature can tell you that yes, it’s very relaxing, it is through scientific investigations that the mechanism behind our physiological response to the trees is better understood. We aren’t responding to the trees per se, but rather undergoing an invisible interaction with phytoncides—active chemical substances given off by plants. The tree, secreting these substances to ward off harmful bugs and rot, is also providing us with a compound that does our body good.”

Have you walked in the woods recently on our trails in Patriots Landing?