DISCOVERY (^) | TRAVEL
PHOTO: MICHAEL MELFORD, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION
TO SKEPTICS, forest bathing looks
merely like a slow walk in the
woods. But the Japanese practice of
shinrin-yoku involves a more deliber-
ate, meditative engagement of all the
senses immersed in nature.
Introduced in the 1980s, it’s now
a common discipline in Japan. The
Forest Therapy Society started a cer-
tification system there in 2008 and
currently has more than 1,700 guides.
On the wave of the wellness movement,
the custom has spread, with certified
guides in the United States leading
walks anywhere there are trees, from
TREE TIME
BY KELLY DINARDO
Acadia National Park in Maine (pic-
tured here) to the Los Angeles County
Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
While forest bathing is having a
moment, many cultures have long
believed in nature as a balm for mind,
body, and spirit. It’s the idea behind
the Norwegian word friluftsliv, “open-
air life.” Or part of what the Germans
mean with the word waldeinsamkeit,
that feeling of solitude when you’re
alone in the woods. And it’s why so
many younger Swiss skip church and
head to the mountains on Sundays.
Outside, arbors provide the amen.
chris devlin
(Chris Devlin)
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