Turn over a new leaf and take up forest bathing if you want to feel happier and healthier, says Wendy Gomersall…
Wherever I turned my head, the view was filled with the most fantastic trees, woody giants probably hundreds of years old stretching skywards to the sun. Gazing up at them from the ground, their branches looked like big fingers reaching up to the light.
My forest bathing guide, Carina, had sent me off to find a tree I particularly liked, stand as close to it as possible, lift my arms, then lean my whole body onto the cool trunk, making complete physical contact. I closed my eyes, caressed the gnarled bark under my hands and breathed in the fresh air…
Not so long ago, calling someone a tree hugger was an insult, conjuring up images of crusty hippies crouching on branches for weeks on end. Were they barking mad?
It turns out those early environmentalists are having the last laugh, because we now know spending time in forests doesn’t just raise your spirits mentally, it’s also extremely good for your health…
Scientists have been gathering evidence about why simply being outside close to nature, surrounded by trees and countryside, can benefit us, our body and our soul.
Research suggests woods, trees and green environments do more than just clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and pollutants and keeping our atmosphere rich in oxygen.
Chemicals called phytoncides, released by plants and trees, help strengthen our immune, hormonal, circulatory and nervous systems when we breathe them in.
So, spending time in nature can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression, stabilise blood pressure, increase anti-cancer cells and even accelerate recovery after surgery.
You don’t need to pay out for a specialist spa or expensive resort to enjoy these benefits either.
Carina Greenwood, a licensed Forestry England, Forest Therapy Guide (ANFT), runs forest bathing courses in the Forest of Dean, in Gloucestershire which, not surprisingly, has a very large number of trees in its 42 square miles of mixed woodland.
Shinrin-yoku or ‘taking in the forest atmosphere’ emerged in Japan in the 1980s. ‘Some might think that forest bathing could be a bit ‘hippy’, a bit woo woo,’ Carina explained. ‘But scientific research is proving the very real physical and mental effects of spending time among trees in the forest.’
We’d met up at Dean Heritage Centre, Soudley (deanheritagecentre. com), where you can find out about the area’s history. It has a nice café for breakfast, too!
February isn’t the warmest time to be han
