Forest Bath Origins
The term forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) originated from the Japanese Forestry Office in the 1980s and literally means bathing in a forest environment. That's when the Japanese government started to notice the side effects of the tech boom on city dwellers, such as depression, distraction and pain of all kinds. Over time, these side effects are now recognized as a major problem in cities around the world. It's hard to really relax in cities, where heavy traffic, dense populations and long working hours create a "sensory overload". The shortage of housing has caused many cities to have no green space, only a few trees and a few parks, creating an illusion of nature.
Xing Forest Bath is to encourage urbanites to take a walk in nature and fight urban diseases with a forest medicine. And the more advanced the technology is, the more important the forest bathing is. Being in the middle of a forest and paying attention to everything around us is enough to stimulate our senses, defuse the urge to do something, and enough to calm our minds and enjoy a moment of peace.
Qing Li, MD, is a physician at Nippon Medical University in Tokyo and the president of the Forest Medical Research Association. He is the author of Forest Healing: How Trees Can Create Health and Happiness for You. He estimates we spend 93% of our time indoors. He found that society's nature deficit disorder (nature deficit disorder), which creates negative emotions about life, can be greatly improved with just a few hours of forest bathing.
ANFT Immersive Forest Bathing
The forest bathing experience of the Association of Nature and Forest Theaphy Guides & Programs focuses on the restoration of the relationship between human and nature, human and human, and human and himself. Through forest invitations from accredited forest bathing guides, participants are immersed in the forest or other natural environment to relax, promote their physical and mental health, and further connect with themselves and the outside world. During the forest bathing, participants open up their five senses and different inner senses, and practice using more diverse ways to receive the healing effects of nature.