Are you stressed? Do you find yourself stuck inside all day, because of work?  Do you suffer from a lack of energy, stress, limited mobility or poor mental health? It is so easy for us to spend all our time inside, particularly if you live in suburbia or in the city.

If you’re feeling stressed, stuck in your head, or just feeling flat, and most of your time is spent inside, a trip outside could do you wonders!

Nature bathing, forest bathing or “shinrin-yoku” in Japanese, is a practice that involves immersing yourself in a natural environment and engaging all five of your senses. This practice originated in Japan in the 1980s, as a way to reduce stress and improve overall wellbeing.

Nature bathing – much like immersing yourself in a bath – is where we immerse ourselves in nature. This can be done either as part of your mindfulness practices, or as a stand-alone activity. Nature bathing is where you ask yourself ‘what can I see, what can I feel, and smell, and touch, and even taste’. For the full experience of Nature bathing it is best that you Leave your phone and/or other devices at home, or other safe place where you won’t be distracted by them.

How to nature bathe;

1. Find a space where you will be surrounded by nature, such as a forest, a park, a garden, a creek or beach – any place that allows you to disconnect and take a break from the busyness of daily life.
2. Take time to engage ALL your senses, noticing what you see, hear, touch, smell and taste. If you need to, bring items along to make this more enjoyable, do so! Instead of having your focus redirected to sensory and/or physical discomfort (e.g. do you need sunglasses, a cushion or chair to sit on, a jacket or noise cancelling headphones), you need to be able to engage your senses without fixating on or being overwhelmed by sources of discomfort or distraction.)
3. As mentioned earlier, leave your devices behind in a safe place, so you won’t be distracted by them.
4. Relax, take your time and connect with the natural world. If you need to, you can set a time limit on this activity (e.g. 20-30 minutes), for those who need structure or wish to block out time in your diary etc.
5. Keep up the good work. Like starting any new practice, it takes some time and effort to form a habit. It also takes time to notice the health benefits of nature bathing, but like many things in life, all the little things we do add up.

Benefits of Nature Bathing

It may seem hard to believe that something as simple as spending time outside in nature can make such a big impact on your health. Studies have shown that nature bathing for around 20 minutes a day resulted in participants reporting improvements in health and wellbeing.

Other possible health benefits of nature bathing include;

• Reduce stress
• Reduce blood pressure and heart rate
• Improve mental health

If you would like to learn more about how you can incorporate nature bathing into your routine and how it may benefit your health contact us to book your personalised health consultation today.