Live Well Road Test: Forest bathing

Forest bathing is the practice of going into nature and relaxing from head to toe, using all five senses as your guide. Photo / Getty Images

Silke Weil visits an urban forest looking for relaxation, less stress, connections with nature and new insights.

The promise

The Japanese have long believed in spending time in the woods to benefit the body and soul, and now the Western world is catching on.

Forest bathing is believed to have a hugely positive effect on your psychological and physical health, helping with relaxation, stress levels, an improved connection with nature and, perhaps, even discovering new insights to take home.

Despite its name it doesn't involve water, unless if it's raining, of course.

It's the practice of going into nature and relaxing from head to toe, appreciating the noises, views and scents around you, using all five senses to connect with the natural environment.

You may think you already achieve this by going for a walk in a park - but how often do you do this while listening to music or powerwalking - or both?

Similar to a digital detox or practising mindfulness, it's claimed forest bathing doesn't just eliminate troubling things, it adds benefits from nature.

The history

The Japanese practice shinrin-yoku directly translates to "taking in the forest". It was developed in the 1980s to get people out of the rat race and reconnecting with nature.

People have been taking walks in forests since forever, but as studies began to show the vast benefits it can have, the Japanese government brought it into the country's health programme.

Worldwide, there are now entire university medical centres dedicated to the practice.

A common prescription is three days in the woods for those feeling overwhelmed by the city, and then guided bathing sessions once there.

In 2005, David Sabgir, a cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio, had exhausted his efforts trying to persuade patients to do physical activity so began asking patients to walk with him.

Separately, the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy was launched in the US in 2012 and now has 625 guides. Other forest therapy associations have also been formed.

The science

There is growing scientific evidence that getting outside in a natural setting is good for mind and body health.

President of the Society for Forest Medicine in Japan and author of Shinrin-Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest Bathing, Qing Li explains: "It's a preventative medicine, not a treatment." People spend their lives increasingly indoors, Li says, but we are designed to be connected to the natural world, to "listen to the wind and taste the air".

A study by King's College London, published in January 2018, found exposure to trees, the sky and birdsong in cities improved mental wellbeing - and the benefits were still evident several hours afterwards.

In a 2017 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,
it showed that forest bathing lowers levels of cortisol - a stress hormone - and can lower depression levels in adults. It also boosts the activity of natural killer cells which work to fight off infections and cancer.

The reality

Although guided tours are recommended to ensure you don't get distracted, I set out on my own to a secluded area of the urban forest up Mt Eden.

It was a big challenge. I always want to be surrounded by people, but the intention of forest bathing is quite the opposite.

I began by trying my best to just relax. It took me a while, but I soon realised my brain was in a space I usually don't reach. It's often running on convoluted thoughts with the hustle and bustle of daily life.

I began to move around, very slowly. In bare feet, I dragged my toes through the grass, I looked closely at the details of the blades and picked a pretty little flower.

Then I just sat, cross-legged. And sat, and sat, and sat.

Just breathing.

I let my nose smell, my ears hear and my eyes see.

The verdict

We all know how the stresses of a day in the office can build up.

However reluctant I was to go, and however bored I thought I would be, it was a truly riveting experience. Afterward, my senses felt alive and I felt truly present and awake.

My mind never really stopped moving, but that's typical for me. However, the benefits of at least attempting to do so were definitely noticed.

There is something really special about getting outside the walls of the office, and being in nature. My mood resembled how I feel after the endorphin buzz of a gentle jog.

There were no instant physical benefits, but based on the way it made my brain feel, I'd say it's about time you tried forest bathing.