Embracing forest bathing

Through meditation, guidance and science, locals are centering nature in their healing

Story and photos by Kennedy Delap.

Deborah Goslin touches the lichen on a tree in Pattee Canyon, south of Missoula.”In scientific literature, people who practice forest bathing report a deeper sense of mental relaxation, increased feelings of gratitude, selflessness and wonder and reduced incidences of depression, anxiety and other mood disorders,” Goslin said.

“W

e refer to it as a sensory opening.”

Deborah Goslin reaches down and touches leaves on a shrub, rubbing them gently between her fingers. As a certified forest bathing guide, Goslin helps people slow down and connect with nature.

“It just brings you into a whole different world… just that act of allowing yourself to be curious and fascinated,” Goslin said.

Valerie Herschede embraces a tree and looks up towards the sky. Goslin guided her through her forest bathing experience. “The noise kind of faded into the background and I was able to keep my focus on the forest. I love standing in front of a tree and looking up its trunk,” she said.

Sylke Laine collects leaves, rocks and flowers on her walk up Marshall Mountain to her sit spot, a patch of grass where mountain bike paths fork overlooking the forest. When Laine has a conflict in her life and her mind, she brings it to the land. By the time she reached her spot and began to journal, she had a completely new perspective.

Forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku, is “the practice of immersing oneself in nature by mindfully using all five senses,” according to a study published in the National Library of Medicine. The term Shinrin-yoku originated in Japan in 1982 and is commonly defined as taking in the forest atmosphere.

Forest bathing has many health benefits, ranging from cancer prevention to helping cope with depression and anxiety. Goslin believes forest bathing is an act of self-care; a gift of time to oneself to reconnect with nature and wellness.

One of the reasons forest bathing brings so many health benefits is linked to trees. To protect themselves from insects, trees emit airborne chemicals or compounds called phytoncides. Phytoncides increase white blood cell count with each breath taken, boosting the immune system, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Forest bathing can look different for everyone. For Goslin, it’s slowly walking through the woods, breathing with an exercise that opens up the senses, tasting the air, smelling the soil, crunching leaves between her fingers next to her ear, laying on the ground and watching clouds and the tops of trees.

Many of Goslin’s bathers report better sleep, better creative problem-solving and an overall better sense of well-being.

To Sylke Laine, who became a certified forest bathing guide last year, forest bathing is “meditation where you are allowed to think.” Laine lives in Missoula, but lived in Germany until 2008.’

Laine brings bathers to an overcrop at Marshall Mountain east of Missoula where she connects them with the natural world. She said they often become emotional – childhood memories bubble up and hard decisions become clearer.

“We forget that we are a part of nature just by the simple fact that we share breath with trees,” Goslin said.