Shinrin-Yoku or Forest Bathing

Repair Kitchen organises one forest bathing walk per month.

The walks are specifically for people with auto-immune diseases, chronic illnesses or people

recovering from cancer treatment and their carers, friends….

Dogs are absolutely allowed!

Do join us! Subscribe to our next walk here. 

Our next shinrin-yoku walk is Sunday, December 21 and will be in the Ryckevelde forest, near Bruges

We start at 2pm.

Learn more about shinrin-yoku below.

What is it?

Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing, is a Japanese practice that involves immersing oneself in a forest or a green environment and in doing so promoting a deep connection with nature. 

Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing is a great holistic approach to better health, combining both physical and psychological aspects. And it is free!

So let’s immerse ourselves in nature. 

The concept of forest bathing was first developed by the Japanese Forest Agency in 1982 as an antidote for the rapidly changing society because of Japan’s bullet train speed-like technological (r)evolution in the early 80’s.

This antidote also made the younger Japanese population reconnect with their nature-oriented ancestry . 

Since 1982 vast research has shown the far reaching benefits of shinrin-yoku. 

Most of the research has been done, and is still being done to this day, by Dr. Qing Li who runs the Forest Medicine department at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo. 

In 2018 the English version of his Shinrin-yoku book was published by Viking/Penguin. You can buy it in English here in the UK, or here worldwide, or here in a Dutch translation.

So what can shinrin-yoku do for you?

A lot!!! 

It helps you to keep a status quo when you are in good health but it does wonders if you have auto-immune diseases, chronic illnesses or are recovering from cancer. 

Let’s start with the shinrin-yoku goodness for your physical health!

  • Reduced stress hormones: spending time in nature has been shown to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Prolonged high cortisol levels will impact your blood sugar levels, making them go up and forcing your pancreas to release excess insulin. Chronic high cortisol levels also result in muscle and bone weakness.

  • Enhanced immune function: when you walk in a forest you can smell the trees and the plants. The reason you can smell them is because they give off volatile organic compounds called phytoncides. Trees like pine and eucalyptus have very high levels of phytoncides. These phytoncides have antibacterial and anti fungal qualities and our bodies react to them by increasing the numbers and the activity of one type of white blood cell, our natural killer cells. Natural Killer cells are like hemo pac-men gobbling up tumour cells and virus infected cells. The more time you spend in nature, the higher your pac-man score. 

  • Improved cardiovascular health: forest bathing can lower both your heart rate and your blood pressure. 

  • Improved respiratory health: this is an easy one. Air quality is measured with the Air Quality Index or the AQI. 

  • The AQI of the air that you are breathing in during a forest walk is undeniably of a much better quality then say your local High Street. This better air makes for a larger intake of oxygen and helps the airways of your lungs to expand and improve the cleansing action of your lungs. Also, those phytoncides mentioned above do their magic for the lungs as well. 

  • Exercising: sure, you could just go to a forest or a park and plop yourself down on a bench for an hour and you would already benefit from this. 

    But most forest bathing will involve some form of movement, walking, hiking, you could even dance through the forest. This physical activity will improve your muscle strength and your cardiovascular stamina. 

And what does shinrin-yoku do for your mental wellbeing? 

  • Reduced anxiety and depression: forest bathing is good for preventive management of anxiety and depression as well as the management of active anxiety and depression. 

  • Enhanced focus and concentration: Spending time in nature has shown to improve your attention span (even in people with ADHD diagnosis) and boost your cognitive aptitude. 

  • Improved mood: Nature can elevate your mood leaving you feeling more happy and content. 

  • Enhanced sleep: the calming effects of forest bathing will help you fall asleep faster because you will have higher melatonin levels, but also have less interrupted sleep. Added bonus on top of all this is that you will wake up feeling more refreshed and well rested. 

  • Boosted creativity: while you are wandering through nature, your mind also has time off and can happily go wandering as well. This will stimulate creative thinking and will give you a different outlook and perspective on your life. 

  • Increased mindfulness: forest bathing will help you become more present and aware of your surroundings. This enhances mental clarity and reduces negative and repetitive thought patterns. 

Convinced of the shinrin-yoku benefits?

Join us for our walk? Subscribe here