A Walk In The Woods

Forest bathing is a simple nature stroll that can prevent stress and restore your sanity.

- Sarah Sekula

HAVE YOU EVER wandered among the stands of giant bamboo at Leu Gardens or taken the boardwalk path at the Disney Wilderness Preserve and felt totally blissed out?

Turns out, there’s science behind that feeling of utter relaxation. A study involving field experiments in 24 forests across Japan showed that when people walked through a forested area, their cortisol levels dropped 16 percent more than when they walked in a cityscape. Plus, after 15 minutes, their blood pressure levels lowered, too.

In fact, there’s a whole movement behind this called shinrin-yoku (aka forest bathing). It’s not what it sounds like; it does not involve stripping down and scrubbing off in a lake. It’s more of a mindful walk, a mobile meditation. e practice, used by the Japanese for decades, means “taking in the forest atmosphere” and was created to combat stress.