Walking in the Woods: Go back to nature with the Japanese way of shinrin-yoku

“Forest bathing” or shinrin-yoku is a way of walking in the woods that was developed in Japan in the 1980s. It brings together ancient ways and wisdom with cutting edge environmental health science. Simply put, forest bathing is the practice of walking slowly through the woods, in no hurry, for a morning, an afternoon or a day. It is a practice that involves all the senses. As a person gently walks and breathes deeply, the essential oils of the trees being absorbed by their body have an extraordinary effect on positive feelings, stress hormone levels, parasympathetic nervous activity, sympathetic nervous activity, blood pressure, heart rate and brain activity. In this book, by a leading expert in the field, science meets nature as readers are encouraged to bathe in the trees and become observers of both the environment around them and the goings on of their own minds.