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The Princess of Wales highlighted the power of woodland and nature this week. In Japan, shinrin-yoku or forest bathing is a way of life
There comes a point in every day when I head to the forest. There’s no set hour on my watch but the emotional clock inside me tells me it’s time to go. If I’ve raced to a tight deadline, heart pounding, I’ll put my boots on. A stressful family phone call? The solution is the same. I’ll make a beeline for the trees.
I live in North London, just 10 minutes’ walk from Highgate Woods, a majestic patch of greenery and originally part of the Ancient Forest of Middlesex, apparently. As soon as I enter the leafy canopy, a calm envelops my body and the volume is turned down on my life. The air is full of oxygen, the trees are so intense that I can’t see the sky, the squirrels are scurrying; within five minutes I can actually feel my whole self “breathing out”.
I’m not the only one who finds solace in the forest. Earlier this week, the Princess of Wales released a video to accompany some long-awaited good news – that she has completed her chemotherapy, close to six months after telling the world about her diagnosis with cancer. Much of the three-minute film, where Catherine is pictured in intimate scenes with her family, was shot in a magnificent forest near Anmer Hall in Norfolk, part of the Sandringham Estate.
The Princess talked about valuing the “simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted”. Earlier in her recovery – just before her appearance at Trooping the Colour in June – Catherine was photographed by Matt Porteous, again standing under a tree.
According to those who know her, Catherine has long been a fan of spending restorative time in woodland. A patron for the Natural History Museum, she took to Instagram to write in July: “I know the power of nature to support our development and wellbeing, both by bringing us joy and helping to keep us physically, mentally and spiritually healthy.”
In 2019, Catherine designed a garden called ‘Back to Nature’ for the Chelsea Flower Show. The Princess’s co-designers suggested that her ideas were inspired by “forest bathing”.
If the term “forest bathing” sounds a bit weird, that’s because it’s a literal translation of the Japanese phrase shinrin-yoku, which means walking slowly and thoughtfully in woodland, literally to “bathe” in its peace and beauty and recharge the body’s batteries.
To me, it’s a rather beautiful and accurate description. And despite the sound of it, the practice of forest bathing really isn’t “woo”, because there are scientifically proven health benefits to wandering among the trees.
When I’m in Highgate Wood, it’s not just my mood that soars. I can honestly say I’m aware of physical changes in my body. As I progress away from the road, my heart rate noticeably slows down. I don’t usually wear tracking technology, but I’m willing to bet that my blood pressure drops and my adrenaline subsides.
I only need a 20-minute circuit, then I come out refreshed, ready to get back into the world again.
Here in the UK, we have a Forest Bathing Institute. “In Japan, there is a large body of data to show forest bathing can among other things: reduce blood pressure, lower stress, improve cardiovascular and metabolic health, and lower blood-sugar levels,” it says. “Forest bathing can lift depression, boost the immune system with an increase in the count of the body’s natural killer and increase anticancer protein production.”
An increasing body of work agrees that the emotional and physical benefits are intertwined. Here are some of them.
For over 30 years, therapists have practised the stress reduction theory, which argues that, while artificial environments create mental stress, natural environments reduce it.
“A forest full of trees triggers an immediate calming response for the mind and body,” says Kamalyn Kaur, a Glasgow-based psychotherapist. “It’s evolutionary psychology. Humans are hard-wired to find green environments calming and safe. They signify a resourceful, abundant habitat and help us feel at peace.
“The resultant calm lowers our production of cortisol, the stress hormone, and boosts our parasympathetic nervous system – the “rest and digest” part – as well as lowering the heartbeat and reducing blood pressure.”
Scientific studies back up this theory. In 2019, meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, researchers found that forest bathing effectively reduced cortisol levels in blood and saliva.
“In our home environments, we are stuck in our little bubbles, and problems can seem larger than they really are,” says Kamalyn Kaur. Head out into a forest, she says and you can regain some perspective.
“See the trees reaching into the sky! Look how old they are,” she says. “Imagine what they have seen. The leaves will fall and come back; there is certainty in nature. Walking in the forest gives us a sense of belonging. Forest bathing gets us out of our own heads and reminds us that there is something bigger and more powerful out there.”
Forest bathing can increase immune cell activity, according to a 2007 Japanese study published in the Journal of Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. A group of 12 men aged between 37 and 55 spent three days camped out in three different forests. Afterwards, they showed a 50 per cent increase in natural “killer cells”, which fight against inflammation and infection.
A further study showed that forest bathing improved immune function, due to the inhalation of phytoncides, the natural chemicals emitted from trees which protect them from fungi and disease. “Phytoncides are responsible for that wonderful earthy smell you find in a forest,” says Kamalyn Kaur. “Think of the scent of pine, or cedar. They also activate the parasympathetic nervous system, and help a person feel relaxed.”
Scientists – again from Japan – are exploring the link between forest bathing and cancer. More research is needed on whether being in nature can have a preventive effect on cancer due to its ability to stimulate immune responses, and to increase the anti-cancer proteins perforin, granzymes, and granulysin.
“Walking through a forest demands total sensory engagement,” says Kamalyn Kaur. “The sights, the smells, the sounds – it’s all-encompassing – a sensation of complete mindfulness in a way you won’t get from watching TV, reading a book, or even going to a yoga class.”
To be enveloped in this environment means you have little choice but to leave the cares of your life behind. “Before Covid, we had more of a boundary between home and work,” says Kaur. “For those who no longer go to an office, we have to create a place to switch from one code to the other.”
Studies have shown that, while forest bathing can be beneficial for everyone, it is particularly advantageous for people who live in cities. “Urban dwellers typically experience higher stress levels, noise pollution, and reduced access to natural settings,” says Dr. Rusly Harsono of the Stanford University School of Medicine in California.
“Forest bathing provides them a valuable opportunity to escape these stressors and experience improved wellbeing through connection with nature.” Those who spent time in the woods reported reduced anxiety, as well as increased feelings of social connectedness. Best of all, once you’ve paid for the train fare, forest bathing is free.
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