Last week, when I told my Zoom friends I was backpacking over the weekend, one of them asked if I’d heard of forest bathing. She was surprised I hadn’t.
But I’ve been forest bathing since I was a girl.
According to an article in Time by Dr. Qing Li, trees can help us be healthier and happier. Forest bathing is “taking in the forest through our senses. This is not exercise, or hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch.”
I spent a lot of days in the woods around my childhood home. My younger sister and I walked to the pond, climbed big rocks, drank from the small brook, explored the bluffs, and dug in the dirt for artifacts. We loved the woods then, and I love them now.
Time in the forest will wash away most distractions and certainly bring a different perspective. Mostly, I’m thankful that I still marvel at the vibrant green color of the moss and the way roots curve their way around a gigantic rock. I love the way I feel when the early morning sun shines through the trees and a soft wind shakes the leaves enough to make them whisper.
I see, hear, and feel God’s creation, and I praise Him for it.
“I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.” Luke 19:40 CSB
Photo credits: Suhas, Bruce, & Whitney
A long unhurried hike has always done me a world of good. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s just so good for our souls.