Shinrin-yoku means "forest bathing". Forest bathing doesn't mean you take bath in the forest; rather, you simply go for a walk in the woods or a city park, where you slacken by using all your senses to experience nature.
Yoshifumi Miyazaki, from Chiba University, is among a growing number of scientists who have begun studying the science behind the effects of nature on human health. In his book Shinrin-yoku: The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing, Miyazaki explains the techniques of forest bathing.
Miyazaki has an interesting theory about why shinrin-yoku is so effective. He points out that for more than 99.99% of the time, humans have lived in a natural environment. In fact, in 1800, only 3% of the world's population lived in cities, and by 2019, this figure reached 54%. This is only going to get worse; officials predict that by 2050, 66% will live in cities.
This suggests we live in our modern society with bodies that are still used to the natural environment, he writes in the book, because "genes cannot change over just a few hundred years". The science behind the research studies he presents in the book makes a convincing case that forest bathing is an effective method for reducing stress in today's world.
Now city planners are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of nature and are creating new kinds of "parks" out of empty spaces. There're also more city gardens where people can grow vegetables. For kids, kitchen gardens in schools are becoming popular. As Miyazaki stresses, you don't have to find a formal park or garden to practice shinrin-yoku. Instead, you can enjoy the effects of nature wherever there're plants.
Better yet, he says, we can bring nature closer to where we spend most of our time. Miyazaki's research has shown that just increasing the amount of plants in a room can affect the relaxation benefits of the room. What's more, even when people simply look at flowers, their bodies relax and stress levels decrease.
