Happiest Outside: Forest Bathing

A shortcut to meditation. It can bring the “bather” into a mindful state faster than traditional meditation. “It’s really just a quiet, contemplative walk or ‘sit’ in nature with no real agenda other than to notice what you notice,” says Dr. Suzanne Bartlet Hackenmiller, a physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, who literally wrote the book on the topic (The Outdoor Adventurer’s Guide to Forest Bathing). But whereas meditation does not attach emotion or judgment to the experience, in forest bathing “we do celebrate the wonder and the awe” of nature.

Forest bathing is the opposite of hectic. “We often go out on a trail charging forward with our heads down,” Dr. Hackenmiller says. “One of the tenets of forest bathing is that it’s a slow, methodical practice where you become engrossed in the noticing. Walk slowly, look up and down, maybe even crouch. It’s almost playful. People say they feel like a kid again.”

It lowers the stress hormone cortisol and improves well-being. That’s why Japanese doctors have been prescribing it to patients for years and why it’s spread to the West. Best of all, there’s no Rx or co-pay required.

Very, very little. Of course, it can and often does take place in a woodland that is remote enough to be free of distracting sounds like traffic, lawn mowers, squealing children, and barking dogs. But Dr. Hackenmiller has led groups by kayak and on mountain bikes, and she says it’s even possible to achieve a similar state of calm by gazing out a window at greenery or simply looking at a potted plant. “I once sat on a sidewalk with an ant and a dandelion for 20 minutes and did a ‘sit spot,’” she recalls, referring to the technique of sitting instead of walking.

In a traditional forest-bathing walk, a guide invites a small group—eight to ten people is ideal—to focus in silence on one aspect of their surroundings for about 20 minutes. The focus could be what’s in motion (the surface of a lake, the sway of wildflowers, the flight of birds). After that, the group comes together for a few minutes to share what they noticed.

Other “invitations” might include paying attention to sounds (rustling leaves, a distant airplane, the honking of geese); noticing dark colors (tree trunks, boulders, soil), and physical sensations. “I might ask the group to see if a tree calls to them,” Dr. Hackenmiller says. “Go toward the tree, and when you get there, just notice that tree and in some way come into physical contact with it, either by sitting against it or putting your hand on it. Spend the next few minutes noticing what that tactile experience feels like. What is the temperature of the tree? The texture? Is there any vibration or movement?” She also invites people to take off their shoes to feel the ground with their feet or to place their hands in the water of a creek or stream. Each invitation is followed by a brief coming together, where participants share if they wish.

If pursuing a solo “forest bath,” the same method applies. Notice something specific for 20 minutes or so and pause to reflect; then move on to another category. If mobility is a challenge, sitting in one place—a “sit spot”—and noticing categories of sounds and visuals is another option. The idea is to “take people out of the ‘monkey mind’ state and move into the pleasures of presence,” Dr. Hackenmiller points out.

Forest-bathing walks are sometimes followed by a tea ceremony in which participants drink hot or iced tea, depending on the time of year, and continue to share their experiences and insights. A solitary walk could end the same way, with a Thermos of green tea punctuating the mindfulness experience and marking a return to the world.