Being among the trees

Forest bathing is an experiential and restorative practice that will leave you feeling relaxed, refocused, reconnected, and renewed.

Read: “Why Harvard doctors are seeking out this natural remedy for themselves”

by Dana Milbank (October 31, 2025) Washington Post

A Brief History

Forest bathing - also referred to as forest therapy - originated as a wellness practice in the 1980’s in Japan called shinrin-yoku.

Shinrin-yoku means forest bath or taking in the forest atmosphere.

It all came about when the Japanese government had noticed a declining shift in the health and well-being of its citizens.

Japanese citizens were spending a more considerable amount of time indoors than outdoors - and with the advent of technology - spending time indoors became even more commonplace than ever before.

Japanese researchers were curious to know if spending more time indoors correlated with the decline, and conversely wanted to find out how spending more time outdoors - reconnecting with nature through the practice of shinrin-yoku - impacted one’s health and wellness.

And what the researchers in Japan discovered was that being among the trees had substantial health and wellness benefits. Forest bathing, in fact, had a positive impact on one’s physical and mental health.

The rest of the world has since caught on, and today forest bathing has become a widely accepted wellness practice all around the Earth. 

Deepening your connection

In today’s modern society, it’s pretty common and fairly easy to experience a disconnect with our natural surroundings. 

Studies show that most of us live with what some now refer to as a nature-deficit. However, forest bathing is a way to close that gap and become reconnected. In fact, our long-term survival truly depends on it.

 Since the beginning of time, nature and humans have co-evolved. We are interconnected and interdependent in every way. We are one the same.

Human beings are the Earth. We are nourished by the Earth, and we cannot live harmoniously in disconnect.

The good news is that through forest bathing, a positive shift begins. We deepen our connection and kinship with nature, and as we become more present, our senses come alive, our hearts open, and our collective health improves.