Forest Bathing

It wasn’t a bad winter here in Kansas City. But, as always, I am grateful that spring has arrived. My wife and I consider ourselves “weather wimps.” We don’t like it too hot. But we don’t like it too cold, either. Even though a teacher once told me “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices,” in the winter, we pretty much hide in the house until the temperatures start reaching the mid sixties. Then, we talk walks. We’re out in the garden. Sometimes, I’ll just sit outside and do “nothing.” Of course there is no way to just do nothing. Even when you’re doing nothing at the very least you’re breathing. So, I like Parker Palmer’s term “taking sabbath.” I just sit and take sabbath.

Taking sabbath is a time not just of physical rest from activity. It is a time of mental rest from thinking about the past or contemplating the future. It really is a time of mindfulness or being aware of what is in the moment. I like to sit on the enclosed deck and listen to the birds chirping, watch the chipmunks scurrying, and the whole outdoors responding to whatever nature is up to. Some of my favorite moments are after my wife and I have eaten on the deck. We just sit being present to each other and everything around us, taking sabbath. Just thinking about it, I can feel my body relax and my mind become quiet. Nature has always had that affect on me.

You may have heard the story of how I learned to meditate. As a teenager, I used to walk through the woods to a nearby river. I would cross the bridge over the river and make my way to my place on a rock, right next to the water. When times were difficult, I would let all the tension and worries go into the flow of the passing river. Other times, I would just sit there enjoying the peaceful surroundings. Once, after I was married with a small child, I took my whole family there – mother, father, wife, and child. Holding my young daughter, I stepped out to a rock in the middle of the river and told her about why this area was my spot. I told her that if she listened, she could hear the woods breathe. As I finished, I saw a faerie dancing on the ripples of the water. I pointed her out to my child who laughed at the sight.

Nature is very healing and now, as we enter spring, even I want to be outside in it. According to National Geographic, Forest Bathing “emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). The purpose was twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.” Although the term is new, the practice is not. I was doing it in the 1970’s and people for centuries have known the power, and peace that can be found in nature.

So, when the weather is warm, get out and do some forest/nature bathing. If you have enough privacy, doing it in your birthday suit is even better. I have a friend in Kansas who can guide you (clothed). Check out her website and tell Shannon I said “Hi.” https://divinenaturetherapy.com.