Some days your head feels like a browser with 37 tabs open and no obvious way to close any of them. And the answer might not be chilling out on the sofa in front of the TV, but rather going to bathe in the forest.
Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku in Japan, is the practice of immersing yourself in woodland to reap the benefits of nature. It’s not like going on a hike, it’s simply spending time surrounded by the trees to calm your nervous system, improve mood and even support immunity. The practice has since been studied extensively in Japan and beyond, and might just be the strongest form of nature to boost wellbeing.
What is forest bathing?
Forest bathing means going into woodland and staying there a while with your senses switched on That is all it is.
The Japanese name for it is shinrin-yoku, which translates roughly as forest bath, and the term came out of the country's forestry ministry in the early 1980s as a public health idea rather than a wellness one. Japan has spent the decades since funding research into whether it works.
Forest bathing isn’t a hike. You are not covering ground or getting anywhere, and the pace is closer to standing about than walking. The point is to go slowly enough that you start noticing things, which takes longer than most people expect.
The benefits of forest bathing, and the science behind them
Spending time in forests is the strongest form of green medicine. The sheer density of forests, along with their clear separation from urban life, makes them a more effective space to recharge.
It brings your stress levels down
Field experiments carried out across 24 Japanese forests found that people who spent time in woodland had lower cortisol, the main stress hormone, along with lower heart rates and lower blood pressure, compared with people doing the same thing in a city. That combination is your body dropping out of alert mode and into the state where it rests and repairs.
It gives your immune system a lift
Trees release compounds called phytoncides (like α-pinene) into the air to defend themselves against insects and disease. A study lead by Dr Qing Li’s team believe this compound helps boost your body’s defences, finding that a weekend of forest bathing increased cell activity of immune cells that fight viruses, for up to 30 days.
It lifts your mood
Even short woodland visits can improve mental wellbeing, consistently showing reductions in anxiety, stress and low mood after shinrin-yoku. The improvement in mood can last up to 24 hours after the walk and studies have shown that forest walks have a stronger positive impact on our mood and stress response than a park.
It settles your nervous system
Your nervous system has two settings running in the background - fight and flight, and rest and digest. The trouble with modern life is that it is very good at leaving the first setting switched on all day over things that are not actually threats, like a full inbox or a delayed train.
Woodland moves you across to the second setting, and the lower heart rate and blood pressure above are what that looks like when you measure it. Researchers also track heart rate variability, which is the tiny variation in the gaps between your heartbeats and a decent indicator of which setting you are running. It improves in woodland, usually within minutes rather than hours.
The benefits are so good, that Japanese doctors prescribe it
In Japan, shinrin-yoku is part of preventive healthcare. The government first introduced forest bathing in the 1980s to help tackle stress and lifestyle-related illnesses, and today there are official “therapy forests” where guided walks are run with medical backing.
Some Japanese doctors, particularly those practising integrative medicine, even recommend forest bathing as part of a patient’s treatment plan for things like high blood pressure, anxiety, or burnout. It’s a great reminder that this isn’t just a feel-good nature walk, in Japan, it’s a science-backed, doctor-endorsed prescription for better health.
How to Try Forest Bathing
You don’t need hours, just regular doses. Research has found that the sweet spot is ~120 minutes of nature a week, whether taken in one go or in smaller visits.
- Walk slowly. Pick a route that takes 20 to 40 minutes at a normal pace and then take much longer than that over it. Stop when something catches your eye.
- Use all five senses. Do a five-senses-scan. Work through them one at a time. What can you hear underneath the obvious sounds? What shades of green can you see? What does bark feel like when you actually touch it.
- Pause and breathe. Every so often, stop where you are and take a few slow breaths. Nothing elaborate. Longer out than in is plenty.
- Take a sit down. Find somewhere to sit and stay there for ten minutes without a goal. This is the bit people skip and it is the bit that does the most.
- Leave the phone. No phones allowed - the benefits of forest bathing won’t work if your brain is looking at a screen rather than your surroundings.
Our Top Woodland Cabins for Forest Bathing
Tap into the benefits of forest bathing at one of our many woodland cabins, or cabins near to dense woodland.
All in the middle of private woodland, you can soak in the energy from the trees.
Located in a little woodland, you’ll be surrounded by trees from the hot tub and the bed.
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