It’s quieter in the woods :) .
Less “hectic” .
No 9-5 , no 3rd work shifts, no machinery 24-7 :) .
No car exhaust :) .
Sure - there’s still “petty theft” and night-time hunters, birds singing most of the day, etc.
HOWEVER - we the urban people live daily like the forest on steroids, crack cocaine, and adrenaline flight - constantly !!!
A forest walk is like everyone innthe city taking a nap at the same time ...
and also, walking without rushing to accomplish a task or to get to an appointment on time :
is very relaxing :) !!
Mmmmm ... it’s time for me to head up to the mountains, again, it’s been awhile :) .
-Irene.
9
Who knew that going out for a walk could be beneficial in more ways than one.
Walking is undoubtedly an easy way to acquire physical activity, yet it is also a significant way to reduce stress and improve your mood.
For me, there is something that is almost tranquil about immersing yourself in nature. Whether it is the fresh air, the sound of birds chirping and insects humming, or the beautiful trees and plants that envelope you, it’s as if your worries drift away with the breeze that brushes past your face as you stroll along.
I believe that walking outdoors is a simple method to cope with stress, which I have done myself. When you let yourself forget about the situation that may be causing anger or stress, you are allowing yourself to be present with the world around you and ease the tension you may have had. Or perhaps walking outside allows you to sort your problems out. It is a way to be alone and process what you are feeling without being trapped inside, where it may feel as though tension is building.
I think the idea of going for a walk in the woods, or even outside your doorstep, can be useful in helping relieve stress. For this reason, the article “Take a Walk in the Woods. Doctor’s Orders” caught my attention.
So whether taking a walk out in nature was your doctor’s orders, or not, I would suggest to try this method. Besides, it is quite simple to take a walk. Who knows, you may even feel as though a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
8
Yes, it is great but do you need a therapist????
Probably good for the people with the 3 “W” (wealthy, well and worried). Free of charge and socially pleasant hikes in the woods are offered by the AMC, ADK, Sierra Club and many others, alas no White Pine needle tea at the conclusion.
23
And, hurry up about it before Trump, enabled by the Kochs and others, disappear every tree and bush.
21
Time in nature is one of the three pillars of the work of Owl & Panther, a program serving families impacted by torture, trauma and traumatic dislocation. Getting families out into nature matters!
9
Just google “nature”. No need to get off the couch.
4
There is a major difference between just a walk in the woods, versus an immersing walk in the woods! Being in the moment, allows the tensions and stress of conscious mind, to at least momentarily evaporate. Whether or not that benefits one on some medical measurement benefits, it at least allows one to experience a moment of cherished worthwhile quality of life experience!
Many of my friends say they are too busy, or too much trouble to walk in the park? Conscious stress prevails, even before they even have a chance at a Real Walk in the Park?
9
Dogs are great. They encourage you to take walks in the woods.
25
Take a walk in the woods?
And contract Lyme Disease?
8
@Sneeral Killjoy. You don't just contract Lyme by walking in the woods.
18
@Nitty Gritty You remind me of surfers who say people are more likely to get struck by lightning than get bit by a shark.
I'm actually in woods and grassy open land almost every day with my dog. I have, more frequently than I like (once is too much), found ticks on my body, crawling and already attached. I hate it. But I also find the recommendation to cover all of one's skin with long sleeves and pants impossible to adhere to on hot humid days.
4
About ten years ago this society wouldn't need a doctor to tell us to go outside and enjoy the outdoor or to simply take a walk through the woods, but with the recent explosion of technology and the use of technology in our daily lives we tend to forget about how rejuvenating and refreshing the outdoors can be and this article furthers that point. The best memories are made outside with your friends and family or even pets, however, even when we know this point we still don't do anything about it and continue our daily grind of life. But going outside and taking those moment to appreciate those simple moments with something as pure as nature is something no one will regret.
21
I do love the outdoors in controlled quantities, reluctant to do much in the US, as I am black and the outdoors is where bad things happen to black people. In other countries, I take to it eagerly. The White Privilege of being able to assume things will go well does not extend out to others. Roughing it in the outback meant staying at a sub-standard Howard Johnson's for longer than a weekend.
As a true lover of Mother Earth and all her great wonders, some of my fondest memories are of the wooded areas. Also some of my worse life experiences have been there, that is just a part of an unequal America. How I wish this was not so. Still, I wish happy refreshing to all thos who can.
43
Let's face it , it is only a couple of hundred years or so since most people lived in or near forests. Over the tens of thousands of years homo sapiens have been around they have lived in forests, and that is their natural habitat. Any other habitat such as towns and cities may offer some advantages, but they are not natural, and must cause stress and illness. Maybe in ten thousand years of city living people will acclimatize to it. We are a long way off that situation.
8
We need to remember something that in our hectic, modern, lives was well understood by our ancestors, yet is also something many have forgotten if never understood. A forest is a community of living beings, all with an intelligence of their own. Some may not understand this because we tend to look at them and think "plants." Yet these "plants" link arms through their root systems, support each other, communicate with each other, and provide a tremendous ecosystem for endless other lifeforms. They are a pure definition of community.
We have trouble seeing them this way because they live at a different time rate than we, and when we walk among them we are as mayflies to their grand lifespans. Can a Mayfly, for instance, truly comprehend you, a human being (for instance). But they are, in their fashion, a network of intelligent beings and they nurture not only each other but everyone and everything that comes into their midst. It is why we humans always thrive in their presence. This is the essence of Trees.
John~
American Net'Zen
39
@John what a lovely reflection John :) Thanks for sharing!
9
As an alternative suggestion, time spent in a natural place just sitting still will bring rewards that are unique. The natural inhabitants of these places will go about their daily lives right in front of you. It is a peaceful, reassuring experience about why the earth's ecosystems are so important to us in ways we don't always realize or experience. Often these places are surrounded by crowded urban/suburban reality, islands of peace and serenity. Close to home, yet so far away.
Eclectic Pragmatism — http://eclectic-pragmatist.tumblr.com/
Eclectic Pragmatist — https://medium.com/eclectic-pragmatism
8
Leave it to us to monetize walking in the woods. It’s simple people—get to a trail and walk. Don’t use a device. Heck, don’t bring one. Notice things. The longer, the better. You’ll feel better and realize nature is amazing. And, it’s totally free!
49
@purpledog And if you happen to be visiting the Burren in Western Ireland, just stop the rental car on the side of the road (leave rom for other drivers to get past it), get out and just walk around in the quiet. Magical. Not forest. But utterly magical.
20
Trees are all healthy and anyone who walks through a forest will find the beauty and quietness to be calming. It is not at this time known why but I believe that mankind is meant to be closer to nature.
There is beauty and love in nature that can't be found anyplace else. Look at the trees. Smell the flavors and look at any growth. See the beauty and appreciate its delicacy.
We are not meant to be only in cement and hardtop roads. Take time to 'smell the roses' and enjoy nature. It is the way to become more human.
11
This is hilarious. How to ruin your nature experience.
1) Give $$$ to a licensed 'forest therapist'.
2) Call your hiking trip 'forest bathing' as if picking up a deer tick is cleansing.
3) Tromp through the trail with 20-50 other overstressed strangers who are looking to the trees for answers.
Just pick a random nature spot and drive to it with your friends. If you don't have a friend; adopt a dog-you sad, lonely sap.
26
@Pal Kind of harsh but alas, so true.
13
"newly trained forest therapist"
And so something as simple as a walk in the woods gets packaged and sold.
Pathetic.
56
As I have been expecting, we are now seeing the first few drippiings of what hopefully will turn into a flow then a huge tide running against the mindlessness of our plugged in, jacked in Twitter-Facebook lifestyles where people hardly venture to take their zombified eyes off of their screens---It's just common sense--look at, hear, smell, touch the real world around you. I know when my surburbanite New England friends visit my dad's farm they have trouble 'getting signals' and get 'bored' because they seemingly have lose all creativity---how can one be 'bored' surrounded by 1000, acres of private land, three streams and 6 miles of biking and field roads to jog, walk, and moiuntain bike on!--Baffling ....but so predictacle--given that our hi-tech with all its barking about it 'frees our inner creativity' when, in fact, it mostly just creates a hive mind or a numb and uninquisitive mind. Let the tide start turning--Make America Great---u n p l u g!!
19
True story: here in the UK, the Minehead Tourist Information Office had a holidaymaker come in and complain about the Wi-Fi coverage (or lack thereof) in the Exmoor national park. Miles of landscape, rugged coast, Celtic and Neolithic sites, and area of outstanding natural beauty etc - and they want more WiFi towers.
34
Breaking News! Nature is Great!! Hello?!!
18
On a warm day, take your shoes off as often as possible and just walk on the cool grass and ground. Ahhhh. Even a short barefoot stroll will recharge your soul and relax your body/mind.
8
I loved this story and believe in the healing qualities of the forest, which is why preserving and creating forest patches in cities is so important.
For any one interested in a great read about observing the forest, The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature, by David George Haskell is extraordinary.
9
My Borderline Personality-disordered ex-wife was an avid rock and fossil collector. Though at the time she hadn't yet received (and didn't know) the diagnosis, she explained that the old rocks made her feel "grounded." Nevertheless, the Borderline charged on. I would say, as an old therapist, that there are millions of potential palliatives in the world and in the mind, available to soothe inner disturbance for approximately 35 minutes. Trees are nice.
10
We go into the woods daily, and are always better for it. Gets you out of your thoughts, opens things up.
Twice, upon coming home from hospital stays, I yearned to get back in the woods so strongly that I went walking into the sweet wild woods far before I was supposed to, and felt calmer, more in sync. Of course it is healing. Many birds know us, some of the animals as well, perhaps the trees too.
Being in the woods is an antidote to Trump, it opposes him, deeply, at every turn.
25
Mildly nauseated at “forest bathing”, whereby people need referrals and classes to do what is basically going for a stroll in a forest. Same as when “wild swimming” became the new go-to liberal middle-class kick (it’s just swimming in a lake/sea/river, why do you need it to be ‘a thing’ generating books and articles? I mean, isn’t it just a normal swim?).
But maybe for city-dwellers it needs to be a dedicated program, I don’t know. Forests and nature are wonderfully therapeutic, and idling your time in a wood can be fascinating as you tune in to the animal marks on trees, the fallen trunks that are home to all sorts of bugs, the layers of leaf litter, the calls etc. My main regret is that woods aren’t really accessible for those of us with mobility issues, so our therapy gets restricted to a room.
12
I don't doubt at all there could be health benefits to forest exposure, mainly because of a reduction in stress. But taking part in a 'forest therapy' session, with a bunch of strangers, sitting in a semi-circle being forced to come up with anecdotes from my past - this would negate the peacefulness I experience in the forest on my own, or with someone close.
I'd be open to a guided experience via perhaps written suggestions, but an actual "guide" with me - no thanks. But to each their own, and if a guide would enhance the experience for some, I'm all for it. I also suspect there may be gender differences in who would most enjoy the activities described.
10
Humans have lived in forests for thousands and thousands of years. The forest is our natural environment. Compartmentalized structures (modern houses, office buildings, etc.) and cities in general are foreign to our psyche.
10
I grew up in New Hampshire. I've been hiking and backpacking in the sublime White Mountains since 1978 as Boy Scout, then as a ranger taking groups on trips while working at Mead Wilderness Base. The 4 Summers and many, many trips over the last 30 years spent in the woods of those mountains have afforded me a perspective of life that has shaped my love of the mountains and all that go with it. The happiness and the incredible state of peace I feel in those woods is beyond words.
22
You really don't need any special training or a formal guide to get the benefits of nature therapy. For example, if you need help or structure, I just finished a book called "Nature Spirit Walks" that includes 22 nature therapy activities you can do in your backyard (preferably somewhere more natural) -- the e-book is free on Amazon. But really, just a simple walk (make sure to put your phone away) in the woods or a field is enough. Also, it's essential we fight to keep nature areas natural, else we won't have anywhere to forest bathe. For far too long we have measured "progress" as how many acres we can transform from trees into houses. We must fight to keep our parks and other public nature spaces open and natural! Middle class and wealthier individuals can own a few acres of private forest paradise -- but the disadvantaged rely on public parks in order to have consistent access to nature, and even then, transportation can be an issue.
10
This is so true.
When I was growing up there were woods behind my house. When I was quite young that's where I'd go to be alone, to explore, to think, and, yes, to escape.
When I got older I found the water shed property that was a five minute walk or so from home. Much, much larger than the "woods out back."
For years I'd go there several times a week, year round. To explore, to observe nature, to sit and gaze out at the placid waters of the reservoir surrounded by trees.
I'd take my dog with me typically. She was, for many years, my only friend. She loved it there.
I experienced unrelenting bullying as a child and teen. My home life was less than good. The watershed property was my sanctuary. The one place in all the world I felt safe and could relax, letting the constant tension ease, and dial back my constant hypervigilance.
Wilderness, forests, public lands, the coasts and beaches, all of them can be beneficial and even medicinal.
55
I've been on a retreat in the Scottish Borders a couple of times now, it is an absolute wonder: www.chisholme.org/fni
The course is held in yurts in the woods and it lasts for a whole week (it feels so weird to go inside a building again afterwards).
I absolutely love getting away from the internet as well. Not to mention the countryside which is so deeply stunning, incredible food too - organic veg from the garden yum, yum, yum! Chopping wood is also fantastic stress relief.
7
I am grateful that "Forest Bathing" is happening for those who surely need to get away from the freeway, and out into Mother Nature. The benefits are obvious; the Silence, the Beauty, and the Inter-Connected-ness (and, abiding harmony) of absolutely everything that is Alive on this beautiful Earth. We are all children of this same "Mother".
Now, can we take "Forest Bathing" a few Yogic steps further ?? Consider clean air, clean water and a healthy Planet not only YOUR birthright, but your grandchildren's birthright, as well. What an ugly reality Life would be without the abundant and nourishing beauty of Mother Nature ??
And so, for all of you avid, sane "forest bathers" out there, let us all REMEMBER TO VOTE for "our" Elected Government Officials who will actually (!!!) protect our Environment, our incredible National Parks, and the healing solace of that Open Space.
Too many decades of too much Corporate Greed have destroyed all too much of the ancient Forests we have left. These Forests literally give us the air that we breathe. Once Wilderness is gone, it can never be replaced.
Rejoice in fresh, clean air. Rejoice in drinking from a clean and clear Mountain Stream. These walks in the Woods are a great first step. Viva "Forest Bathing" !
35
I live on 10.5 acres of forested land, and have made a series of interlocking trails to be used for 'walking meditations'. No matter the scientific outcomes, the forest is my church and heals what ails me.
32
My Italian grandparents could never understand the need to go camping. Where they came from “camping” was being homeless.
10
So the New York Times has discovered -and ritualized walking in the forest. A trained guide is required to explain this mystical, immersive experience. Whatever happened to just taking a walk in the woods? Grab a water bottle & map, leave your phone and silly hat at home and just WALK THROUGH THE TREES. Find a nice spot with a view of something, sit down and stare. Close your eyes. Take a nap. Commit the sound of the wind in the trees, or the gurgle of a creek to memory -and recall that blissful moment Wednesday mid morning when the office cacophony is boiling your senses. But don't over think it. Just go out there and have a seat. Please don't break anything, set stuff on fire, or make a mess. And PLEASE don't splatter the secret waterfall location over the Internet. A best kept secret should remain just that. If you need a guide, find someone with grey hair, worn boots, who doesn't talk much, and follow them. It's all pretty simple actually...
70
Don't forget paddling: canoeing or kayaking. These will also take you away from the rush of our daily lives and both add strokes which are methodical and rhythmic (if done right, shouldn't impair your shoulder joints). For those who have trouble walking, particularly maneuvering on a path with tree roots, this may offer an alternative. There is a healing contradiction here: one goes into the woods/waters seeking wellness and one eventually connects to everything around you: one is only a small part of the whole picture, not the dominator of the woods/water. True sustainability.
2
Now I have a term for term “forest bathing” for what has helped me through long periods of pain and sometimes depression. It’s sad in some ways that such an obvious mood lifter needs to become “evidence based” before people will follow a longstanding practice. If this type research gets people outside and supportive of our natural world, it’s a good thing. Forest bathing in my experience also works great with a friend or dog along to enjoy the forest bath. That will likely be the next research project.....
4
Every time I read an article extolling the benefits of a walk in nature, I cringe at the thought of the hordes of stressed out cityites I invading my beloved woods in upstate NY. At one particular swimming hole it has gotten so bad that the DEC had to impose strict permitting and regulations due to the destruction wreaked by ignorant tourerists (pun intended). So please, don't let your stress, stress the forest.
10
Whether you walk in the woods [I live in the woods on a peaceful Washington state Island] or you live in New York city [which I have done when young--I am now 74 years old] . . .and walk in Central Park or down Broadway;
Whether you pray in a Christian church or in the religious shrine of your choice or if you are like me, born a USA Jew who became an atheist after reading all of the Bible at age 10--and can't believe people take this nonsense seriously and consider any religion as silly as believing Santa Claus comes down my wood stove stove pipe;
We all die. This is the central fact of Homo sapiens existence. To a great extent, humans are the only animals on our planet that are fully aware that we will die.
I have read all the other answers so far. What is notable is how little agreement there is.
It is almost 175 years since Edgar Allen Poe's brilliant story (more or less starting the mystery story genre, THE PURLOINED LETTER.
The reason everyone disagrees and all humans are essentially crazy is that we know
WE ALL WILL DIE.
12
You can spend $3000+ to become a certified guide. I think I missed a business opportunity.
2
I was really fortunate to have a mother who loved nature. She passed that love along it continues to give me great joy and most often a sense of peace in a what is often seems like an increasingly crazy disorienting world. I get outside to local parks and trails several times a week and over the last couple of years have discovered birding. My walks are more like “saunter and stare” now, while taking occasional photos of a fascinating world of diverse, beautiful, funny, brilliant birds. Sometimes I meet other people outside with similar interests and we share a few thoughts or point out birds we notice. It’s all good.
12
"...Imagining feeling their feet growing into the ground like roots of a tree." That's given me a traumatic flashback to a kids' ballet class where we were supposed to imagine that we were little flowers. I made it quite clear to my mother that if she ever forced me to attend again, I'd let them know exactly what I thought of both the program and the participants. Problem solved.
Editor’s note: This comment has been anonymized in accordance with applicable law(s).
5
There are bears in them-there woods: lynx, snakes, coyotes, ticks, black flies, porcupines, bobcats, mosquitoes. Oh my!
You might get lost or break your neck. So please stay home or just walk the sidewalk so you take no chances.
Don't annoy those of us who find the woods sacred. If you want to chat, go to a coffee shop. If you want to listen to music or play with your phone, stay in the parking lot. Mindful mindlessness is a no no. The woods and trails are the best kept secrets--keep it that way.
32
You just raised my blood pressure with your “stay off my lawn.” Look for me soon in a forest near you.
13
Ruined it with that mosquito and tick comment. I’ll just instead fake it. YouTube it is!
2
I'm kind of at a loss why people need to quantify whether walking in the woods, meditating, stroking purring cats, etc. are good for you. How can anything that relaxes you not be good for you? Is it better for your heart to engage in strenuous aerobic activity? Probably. But if you can't do that, either for a medical reason, or maybe you're on a trip where there's no opportunity to do aerobic activity, taking a walk or meditating has to be better than sitting around stewing.
22
@Carl
I simply love your comment, especially the part about stroking a purring cat. Our current feline resident, Fred, showed up 18 months ago, starving to death and badly injured. The moment I picked him, he began to purr and never stopped. He is now 15 pounds and perfectly healthy. There was definitely a mutual beneficial exchange between him, my husband and myself.
A purring, loving cat or a sweet, lovable dog is the best medicine in our house after a stressful day. This is probably why a lot of nursing homes have instituted a program in which volunteers brings dogs or cats every week to visit the residents.
Who needs a forest when a feline can be just as "healing"?
9
Green is definitely a relaxing color -- although when schools introduced "green blackboards," all the teachers I knew gave a shrug. Green wasn't going to do anything for the kids they taught.
The green areas of Prospect Park used to be relaxing; but now the woods are full of the rancid smell of marijuana -- no matter the time of day. And then there's the graffiti, and my own reaction to it: Olmsted and Vaux might have called Prospect Park "the people's park," but they could have had no inkling of the people who now routinely desecrate their best work.
Green isn't relaxing when it's clear that a lot of people don't appreciate it and do their best to mess it up.
As for going somewhere else, where it's green and pristine: Too much traffic. Being stuck on the BQE would undo any good a forest walk might have done.
4
I walk my dog in the woods every day, but I would find very intrusive the chatter of a mindfulness coach, explaining what to look at, hear, feel or smell. The world's layered places, dense with time and human or other animal passage, is already ruined by the nattering of guides. We have our individual senses to employ in all such situations. Why do we need coaches?
106
People probably don’t need guides to enjoy nature, but the guides can be helpful for keeping your companions quiet.
3
For all of you afraid of nature don’t worry. We will display videos of forests, streams, sunsets, mountains and all of nature’s glory on your big screen TV while dying in your ICU bed. No bugs, no worries, just peace.
6
When I was going though my divorce a few years I was hiking once or twice a week. On one of these hikes, I was faced with a steep climb up a mountain over rough terrain. I made it up and across three peak that day. As I made my way back to the trailhead feeling, I felt that I had accomplished something meaningful that day. I also realize that I was very capable in take on the other emotional challenges in my life.
40
I grew up in a village in Pakistan where walking and biking was norm and really only option that I could afford. So after moving to New York within a couple of years, I needed a break from the city and started hiking upstate NY. And have been hiking since then religiously wherever I have lived in US almost every weekend. For me personally it was matter of balancing city life because as much as I love living in cities, I have a strong urge to be out in nature as well.
Also if you are new to hiking then don't let fear of ticks hold you back. I have been hiking for almost 12-15 years in US and have hiked in lot of different parts of US and never had to deal with ticks. And even if you come across ticks, they are not as dangerous as some people would like you to believe. Generally they need to be on you biting for more than 24 hours to do any real harm.
https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2825/
10
While you promote getting out in nature & walking in places where ticks are you should also stress the importance of protecting oneself against ticks (& mosquitoes) from biting in the first place.
You have bern lucky but some of us not. Having Lyme is not fun. It causes irreparable damage & lifelong consequences
Being in nature now means being aware & protecting yourself.
& sadly walking trails also means encountering loud people hearing every word of their conversation when you just want peace & quiet~ we don't need GROUPs or guides. Be still & KNOW.
4
Remember, we came from the outdoors. Our sheltered, climate controlled lives isolate us from all the vast life of nature around us, which we are part of. The science behind the benefits will likely never be understood because there is no financial gain in doing the research. As an avid lover of the outdoors I can say that regularly connecting with nature with a walk in the woods, or on the beach, or just outside is as critical to a well balanced healthy life as good nutrition, exercise, sleep, etc. spend more time outside, you will feel better.
9
I live in the middle of a temperate rain forest in an island in the PNW. Heaven....
7
Great article-totally agree. I enjoy camping, hiking, trail run. What I hate, as a woman, though, is that I don’t feel nearly as free as men to go off and “get lost” alone or with other women. Too many have been killed over the years when they’ve “dared” to go for a jog alone or camp in the back country.
40
The piece speaks less about time in the forest for healing than it does a society that has some messed up priorities that forced us to need that healing in the first place. Now where's that Dalai Lama quote....
8
“You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns." - Henry David Thoreau, 12. Brute Neighbors, Walden
14
I will take a daily walk, but not in the woods. We have too many ticks and mosquitos in my area to be hiking around in the woods. No thanks, I will stick to sidewalks.
3
I live on a three acre site of Cape Cod woods (I'm not from LV, anymore). I have carved out paths, a fire pit, a grape arbor, a blueberry field, a kayak launch into the salt marsh, an ancient rhododendron bosc and other calming and delightful features. But they are all for me, alone. I cannot, in good conscience, bring others there, because of the deer ticks.
5
@Alan Day
Just taking a long shower should get rid of the ticks, since they attach only after some hours.
And a few spritzes of insect repellent on strategic areas of the skin should take care of the pesky mosquitoes.
2
For my entire I've always loved taking walks through forested areas. It can be a powerful stress reducer. I'm not so sure it would work as well for me if I did it with a group or a group leader constantly bombarding me with commands to look, listen and smell. Sadly, I don't live near a quiet forest or even a small cove of trees anymore so when I fell stressed out, especially at my crazy job, I just go home for lunch for an hour and enjoy the quiet and the peacefulness of my condo. It's not the same but it works almost as well.
3
Walking in a group of people constantly sputtering that kind of new-age nonsense would totally stress me out. Forest therapy guide... hilarious. Spending time in nature alone however really is extremely relaxing and healthy.
108
I love tramping in the woods, but desert hiking is more to my liking and speaks to my soul.
I spent almost every summer from my late 20’s through my early 40’s going West and many of those trips included time in the Red Rock country of the American SW. Those trips also many times included time in the high country in the woods.
Back to the woods, a virgin woodland in Michigan lay just outside my hometown of a Three Oaks, Michigan. Warren Woods State Park is a small (300 acre ) virgin woodland that is listed as a National Natural Landmark. We used to wander and enjoy these woods as kids in the 1960’s as it was an easy bike ride from Three Oaks.
Here is a Map link to the napping app of your choosing.
https://tools.wmflabs.org/geohack/geohack.php?pagename=Warren_Woods_Stat...
In SW Michigan not far from the sand dunes of the Lake Michigan shore, it is an easy trip from Chicago and the area is a nice place to get away to in the summer. If you are lucky enough to live nearby or are in the area for the beaches, give it a visit.
1
In the forest there aren't leaf blowers going. There isn't bone jarring music blaring from car speakers or boom boxes or any other device. We don't have the stink of car, bus, or any other vehicle emissions around us. The air is cooler because of the trees. There isn't any obligation to listen to or shut out unwelcome noises. We can stand still and simply be. Sometimes we need that more than we need the noise of civilization.
124
I’m lucky enough to live in a part of Durham, NC where there are still a lot of trees although the city has no policy to protect them from rapacious real estate developers who create moonscapes of forests to erect new apartments or housing communities zoned residential.
There is a small city park behind our house and I take a trail through the woods with my dog until we get to a small lake.
In that lake are numerous turtles, and a giant blue heron family who regularly hunt for fish. The woods have owls, hawks, bats and other marvelous creatures like green tree frogs and lightning bugs. In the winter we get migratory geese who go somewhere during the day but return at sunset flying in a formation of 18 to 20 and land simultaneously en mass on the lake.
And once in a while if I’m at the lake at dusk I will see beaver, yes beaver patrolling for food.
The woods are hallowed places and they are in danger.
The best thing I’ve ever read regarding their sanctity is in Faulkner’s The Bear. He was reacting to the clear cutting of virgin forests in northern Mississippi in the late 1800’s:
“... He created man to be His overseer on the earth and to hold suzerainty over the earth and the animals on it in His name, not to hold for himself and his descendants inviolable title forever, generation after generation, to the oblongs and squares of the earth, but to hold the earth mutual and intact in the communal anonymity of brotherhood...”
There are way too many oblongs and squares.
36
Perhaps the soothing effect of a forest is not so much about what is there, rather what is absent. Maybe just being away from other human beings and the accompanying stresses of interacting with others is the key here.
56
Forest Bathing (haiku) "Bathing in a sea - of trees brings peace to the souls - of dogs and humans"
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Two quotes from Emerson seem appropriate:
1) Nature does not like to be observed, and likes that we should be her fools and playmates.
2) Nature is a mutable cloud, which is always and never the same.
07/13/2018 F 12:00p Greenville NC
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Huh? Doesn't everyone know that taking a walk in the woods or on the beach is good for you, body and mind? Do we really need scientists to tell us this or to pay for people to take us on these walks? This is very strange, as far as I am concerned. Maybe some real news instead?
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You'd think it would be basic common sense...but no. And it's sadly NOT just the very indoorsy NYT crowd in Manhattan and Park Slope here. I live near you in the Midwest, and I've seen it tragically among young people and their parents (presumably Gen X or Millennials). They just don't do stuff outside! they play indoors, and on video games or smartphones -- the kids are literally addicted to phones -- or watch TV. With 250 or more channels, that is quite a time suck! and the internet! Facebook! Instagram! Snapchat!
There is a Metropark near my home, about a 1 mile easy drive, walk or bike. I took a group of children there a few years ago, ages 6-12. They were flabbergasted. They had no idea the park existed -- down the street! Their parents had NEVER taken them, ever. They could not believe there was a "wild place" with creeks, forests, wildflowers! They had a fabulous time. Upon returning them, most of the parents were peeved at me because "the kids got all dirty".
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I've only just pulled up this article which reminds me when I lived on Vancouver Island. Sadly, like many spots in the USA. if you venture a bit inland you come upon clearcuts or worse. PR...it's disappearing faster than you imagine
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When in a forest, there seems to be a proclivity on the part of some people to look down and of other people to look up.
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Due to the massive increase in public lands users and the bad behavior of so many of them, I'm finding walking in the woods stressful these days. Now when I hike I see drones, dog poop bags and other litter, people playing amplified music; I've hiked to the cacophony of gunfire from nearby target shooters; and of course there are always poorly behaved off leash dogs. Sure there has always been bad behavior on our public lands but now there are just so many people vying for space. National park visitation is out of hand and that is certainly not a relaxing experience anymore. Even though I still think that it's a minority of people who cause the issues, it's hard to escape their impact. The stress comes not only from their actions but from the idea that walking in the woods SHOULD be peaceful and calming, but it's just not anymore.
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Which is why I was appalled to see, some weeks ago, a little crowd of Jehovah's Witnesses holding placards outside of the Acadia National Park Visitor Center. I go up north to get away from proselytizers, panhandlers, and a zillion pedestrians.
I asked at the information desk, I thought rather politely, whether proselytizing in our National Parks was legal. Really, I was curious. The young man behind the desk glared at me and said, "They're exercising their First Amendment rights, same as you."
Same as me? Was I holding up a Greek Orthodox cross and bible, smiling at passers-by, and hoping to convert the heathens? I asked a question.
Later, driving along Route 3, I saw that there was a Jehovah's Witnesses mini-headquarters down the road. A marvelous place for a vacation home, don't you know, totally tax free.
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I take motorcycle rides in the country side. The solitude with my willing machine, a winding road, the bucolic beauty... They get the endorphins flying, and all is good with the world. Who needs pills or a therapist.
2
Now try it on a bicycle instead, and you can add birdsong and personal fitness to the experience.
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This is a joke, right, Mainliner?
Your machine isn't "willing," and you're giving those who dwell in the countryside high blood pressure with all the fumes and noise you're making.
They live in the countryside so that they don't have to live where I live.
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@B.
Not all motorcycles are like that.
Harleys make a *lot* of noise.
I've had Japanese bikes over the years, Suzukis and Yamahas, and at the speeds I'd go on country roads never approached the levels that would actually make much noise. My bikes engines would just hum lightly. And I never had a bike that spewed fumes.
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The forest, the birdsong in the morning, the color green, the oxygen. Do we really need doctors to tell us this is healthy?
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What about ticks? Lyme Disease? Borelia?
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There are bigger concerns, bugs are not a big deal. Bring a nice walking stick for when you have to step over a log or rock- the snakes will thank you. If you are out in the high country of the SW during monsoon season, lightning is a real concern if you are at altitude.
In decades of tramping, camping, volksmarching and such, people are a greater concern than anything a Mother Nature is likely to dish out.
For the uninitiated, volksmarching can be a fun activity and there is a US organization where you can find a club near you at the link.
http://www.ava.org/locateclubs.php
Get out and walk.
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I haven’t done the research but I’ll wager you’re at higher risk for heart disease or diabetes from sitting on your couch. Get outside!
“So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space.” - Edward Abbey.
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What about them? Life is to be lived.
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As I do not live near any forests (although I have visited a couple of them), I make frequent visits to parks and gardens in the New York City area, notably the Bronx Botanic Garden. My blood pressure immediately goes down the moment I set foot on those glorious grounds, and I feel absolute joy in simply walking the grounds, looking at the variety of trees and flora. I always feel uplifted and at peace when I am there, and the effects last well after I have left - which is always hard to do.
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Gee, who would have thought it? Playing outside is actually good for you! I can just see teams of researchers performing all sorts of controlled studies to determine if what our mothers have been telling us for 70 years that I know of was really true.
What's next? Will we learn that fresh strawberries are really good to eat?
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Having studied this extensively, it has become clear that while all 5 senses are utilized in Shinrin-Yoku, it appears to be the sense of smell that is most important. Many lab studies have been performed in which animals and/or people are presented with 'clean' air, or air infused with one or more terpenes, the secondary metabolites that make the forest so fragrant. These studies similarly show a lowering of blood pressure, a lowering of anxiety, and other physiological benefits to merely breathing in the forest air. We have termed this concept Paleo Air, and are of the opinion that breathing air similar to that of our ancestors is very healthy. More studies are coming.
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Thanks for this, but I also study this and have been my whole adult life (60 years). The healing powers of Gaia are far more subtle and complex than we have yet to determine. Keep studying. Find much peace in Nashville? I have a collection of c20,000yo carved stone upper-paleolithic (Dawn Mother?) Goddess figurines that were once in Clarkesville and on the Johnson's riverboat museum at the Nashville wharf in c. 1890. Ask Kevin Smith about them at MTSU, if he's still there. Unfortunately, the "experts" are afraid to publish authentication, because the story is so wild. They originated in a Berlin riverbank! Let's hear it for "Paleo Air"! Stress R Us
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I go for a walk in the forest almost every day and it is obvious to me that it cleanses my mind and is positive for my health. If I walked with someone who suggested a pine needle tea ceremony I'm afraid it would reverse any positive effects and increase my blood pressure.
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It may not always be possible to visit a forest very often, but anyone with a bit of land can connect with nature every day if they create a living landscape at home. Our habitat garden in the suburbs has very little lawn, but lots of native plants in a three-dimensional landscape filled with life (described in ourhabitatgarden.org). Connecting with the birds, butterflies, toads, and other little creatures in our yard has enriched our lives tremendously over the years. This daily “dose” of micro-nature adds up over the year! Doug Tallamy’s popular books "Bringing Nature Home" and "The Living Landscape" are useful guides as well as our Wild Ones chapter’s discussion course "Caring for Our Piece of the Earth" (hgcny.org/course).
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This is one reason public lands should be encouraged and not sold off or handed over to industry. When I lived in Utah, where there is a great deal of public lands, I walked miles almost everyday. I felt really happy. Where I live now there is almost no public land and what there is takes an hour or more to drive to. I loved walking out my door and onto public lands or finding hundreds of places to get out and walk while driving around. I hope politicians don't get their wish of selling off public lands. The public needs them.
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Linda, I grew up in OK, and I agree: I could only experience “nature” at church or Camp Fire Girls’ camp. The first time I hiked in the Rockies, I thought how “messy” things were, with downed trees and big rocks everywhere. Now I laugh at that reaction of a city girl. How I love the unmanicured trail, the messiness of Mother, if I can find it! Like the 45th president, land development, Texas-style, is the work of Satan.
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We live in the woods atop a mountain in Upstate New York with a 50 mile views from our living and bedrooms. I could not agree more with this piece! Even going back to New York City from time to time reminds me just how loud, smelly, congested, disturbing and personally discomforting it really is to live there. Just a few days a month is fine...then back to peace and tranquility amidst the trees.
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We humans have spent of much our history evolving in forested environments, some of us near oceans and rivers, others near arid climates. In this regard, biblical text aligns with deep historical fact in space if not in time. There is so much synergism over so much time between the forests and the animals that have evolved within them, I suspect we are scarcely aware of all of the benefits we receive from the phytobiome.
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I am a woman and I love hiking alone. Some of my women friends try to get me not to. I realize something awful might happen, but it is such an intense joy!
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I wonder if the positive effects of being in the woods or outdoors are corresponded less with the outdoors themselves than what outdoor spaces force a person to do: get away from certain social/societal structures for a time, make us notice ourselves and the way we experience the world, oftentimes exercise or at least move, etc.
I often notice that I find myself in a meditative state when I go on short walks through the woods or even weeklong backpacking trips, and I find myself able to think the most clearly outside, alone from the pressures of the outside world beyond my most immediate survival needs because I find perspective and peace. And when I'm upset and can't understand why, a nice set of sprints in the woods has the power to change my brain chemistry enough to put me in a place where I can think clearly again.
I mean I hope everyone has positive experiences outdoors but I also wonder this whole "forest bathing" thing is a bit gimmicky. Perhaps people would best achieve some of the wellbeing that is corresponded with the outdoors by having authentic experiences of considering themselves and the world around them, taking a break from social/societal pressures on their own terms and on their own schedules without going on silly tours with therapists one every six months.
researchers from the University of Queensland have identified five chemicals in grasses and green leaves that have stress relieving properties. so this is about more than just birds chirping. it is a real biological response to the chemistry of the forest.
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Great article, although there is indeed plenty of good science supporting the medical benefits of forest bathing. Just look at the differences in rates of the "diseases of civilization" occurring among low density traditional hunter-gatherers living in remote areas (including forests) when compared with our urban lifestyle. They have almost NONE of our fatal diseases, all of which are increasing rapidly, in spite of our $3.5T heroic medical interventions. If we suddenly start 7.45B of us tromping off through the precious little forest left in the "developed" world, well, goodbye forest. In southern Wisconsin where I reside, there is one state forest of about 1 1/2 mi sq. And it is already over utilized. All the rest is private land, nearly all covered with industrial farming monocultures of soybeans, hay, and corn. Population density stress is killing us now and only a worldwide concerted voluntary one-child family planning movement can save future generations and the planet, forest bathing or not. Stress R Us
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Yes! It's just a bit mystifying to me why this is nor glaringly obvious to all. I'm not sure you need a formal experience to be outdoors, but I suppose it provides a nice framework for the experience. I'd happily take people for walks, but luckily most people in Oregon already do this. And the best spots are the minuscule patches of old growth left. If you have access to this, go hug a tree. I do, literally.
As far as psychological well being, the combination of talk ( to decrease pent up stuff, to disentangle problems and to find real life changes to make), with being in nature, preferably with movement involved, trumps anything else. This is true for most people in the depression/anxiety/stress range, which is most people.
I do however want to emphasize that QUIET and listening to natural sounds is a huge part of this. People tend to speak loudly and yell outdoors, without any regard to the needs of animals or other humans, and to their own detriment, though they're unaware of this. On top of this there's the growing menace of outdoor speakers. What I think about that is not fit for print.
I'd like to start a campaign to promote peace and quiet in the great outdoors. If someone, including official orgs, has serious ideas how to get this going, please contact me.
To me the need for nature, and lovely real forests, and especially walking in it, is like breathing air. I don't get why all this needs an explanation but apparently it does!
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Thank you for taking the time to read and comment Dr. Kalaichandran. Very much appreciated.
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I live in a rural environment and get out in the woods daily, too. In answer to your question about promoting peace and quiet, check out The Quiet Coalition. They’re more urban-focused, but your point that noise in general is detrimental to human health is well established. My personal crusade is to get rid of obnoxiously-loud motorcycles (usually Hogs with illegal after-market open pipes, which the owners spend good money on just so they can annoy everyone else), which is often the only artifical sounds I here out in the woods around my home—and I’m a mile away from the nearest public road!
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When I'm hiking on Mount Tam in Marin County, and I pass a person with a portable speaker blaring, I feel a bit bad for him. He's missing half the point!
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“The science is still lacking to prove it. But there is some evidence — as well as good old common sense — to suggest that spending time in nature is good for both the mind and body, whether done as a group or alone. It may be something we all need more of.”
Included in the 60 acre farm my parents once owned back in the late 1950s was a 20 acre forest. Often times I would go down there with our family dog and just poke around, smell the richness of the soil, listening to birds sing and hear the occasional owl hoot. I felt completely safe and enjoyed those often treks “to the woods”.
But to be perfectly honest, in the area where I have lived for 35 plus years where many forest preserves are located, women have been attacked, raped, and murdered while either jogging, riding their bike or walking . . . alone. Even while riding my bike with my husband, I don't feel comfortable or safe until the moment we exit that area.
I think spending time in a forest with a group of individuals is smart and safer, I truly do believe in its benefits, but I also think common sense should come into play as well. While it’s probably my fear and paranoia at work here, I would never go it alone nor feel comfortable if any of my gal pals decided to go for a walk in a forest preserve by themselves. I think doing so alone is reckless and potentially dangerous.
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I can't stand group hikes. People chatter so much you don't even notice where you are. And if you take a dog, you'll be too mindful of the dog to really see, hear, smell the forest.
Usually I hike with my naturalist BF, but while he's watching flying things with his binos, I go on ahead and immerse myself in the sensation of being alone.
There could be a whole article about how being alone in a forest is unlike any other experience. It can be transcendental, eerie, you can lose your sense of self. I swear such disconcerting feelings are the real reason few people hike alone, not realistic dangers. The Germans have a word for the feeling of being alone in a forest: waldeinsamkeit.
Don't deprive yourself of being alone in nature just because you're a woman. That wouldn't be fair. Carry pepper spray.
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@gw
I love your comment. What you described is very similar to what I experienced frequently when I would wonder through my parents very large patch of woods. But that was back in the late '50s and I was a child and I knew no dangers or felt no fear.
I agree with your assessment that there seems to be more chatter than silence to observe and soak in the smells, sights and sensations of the area.
Please note that the apprehension and caution I stated is an internal battle I struggle with. What applies to me may not be the case for anyone else. I just think common sense should be one of the items to pack along with some water, a fully charged cell phone AND a can of pepper spray.
Thank you very much for sharing your important and valuable thoughts.
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"Don't deprive yourself of being alone in nature just because you're a woman. That wouldn't be fair. Carry pepper spray."
While GW's comment is wonderful in theory, you'd better practice aiming that pepper spray, Ms. Keller.
While most women are killed or maimed by their husbands or boyfriends, there's a sizable number who are attacked by men they do not know. They say God protects fools and drunkards, but hiking alone in a remote spot just isn't safe for a woman, just as it isn't safe walking home alone in New York City at 3AM.
For that matter, New York City is your better bet. At least hundreds of people are within screaming range.
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There are feel better feelings then getting out in nature. I love hiking and camping and try to get outside whenever possible. I also think we need to do a much better job at making sure natural environments are not just easily accessible for the privileged few but for all low income families and communities who have the desire to experience wilderness.
However the excitement around ecotherapy could be dangerous. Getting to enjoy a relaxing environment is no replacement for clinically provide medicine and treatment.
We need to make sure we do not oversell the health benefits of nature and should invest more time in research into figuring out what they really are.
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We are a senior couple, living in a dream house in the woods. Trees, seasonal wildflowers, ferns, a rocky stream, snowdrifts and ice "sculptures" in winter. Yet now we never venture into the yard, garden, brookside, or woods without boots, tick gaiters, long pants, long-sleeve shirts, hats, gloves, and mosquito netting. We buy permethrin in giant-size containers. In spite of these precautions, my partner nearly died of a tick-borne infection (anaplasmosis) last winter. The ticks here can be active year-round, even on winter days if the temperature is above freezing. They have more than one peak activity period each year, including late fall! Forest bathing...a very dubious concept at present. And yet, and yet: we love the peace and quiet, and we do still love our woodland surroundings.
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Excellent idea for all to go learn of the natural world and have greater respect for our natural environment.
4
I have had the joy of walking with The Outside Institute with Laura Silverman in Sullivan County, NY. for the past two years, and while we haven't stopped to lie on the ground, spending time walking in the woods, gaining information about the flora around us and simply breathing, has most definitely calmed my soul.
When I get back to the city, I meditate regularly, aiming to find the calm that the walk in the woods provides.
I strongly recommend reconnecting with nature on a guided walk. Nothing has improved my well being more.
7
I grew up on long island when there was still significant growths of trees, which we called "the woods". I would walk in them frequently, and loved to lay on a pile of leaves to take a short nap. Later in life I spent a lot of time upstate, and in north central Mass., where I also did this. I got to see a lot of wildlife and otherwise experienced the calming and healing effects described in this article. Strangely enough I've found similar benefits from hiking in the desert (it's by no means all sand), though without the benefit of streams, lakes and rivers. Running into javelina or rattlesnakes is not the same as coming across bears or great blue herons, but then it's not so different either. Though age and illness have limited my mobility somewhat, I still go out somewhere quiet and away from civilization with my dog each morning and we're both better off for it. Just remember nature can be as dangerous as it is beautiful.
4
I recently purchased a house surrounded by woods and backing up to a 75-acre nature preserve, also heavily wooded. The house is in a busy suburb and seems dropped in from another planet, and one of the main reasons I bought it was so my daughter could grow up exploring and playing in the woods -- because of the benefits set forth in the article.
The week after we moved into the house in April, my husband and daughter went for a half hour walk in the woods, not venturing far from our house. When they returned, my husband started calling to me from outside, requesting my help. Turns out they were covered in ticks -- at least 12 -- and he wanted me to help strip off their clothes before even coming back inside.
So now I live in a house in the woods but am afraid to let my daughter play outside. General tick precautions seem insufficient when the tick population is that high, and I can barely get my daughter to wear clothes in general, let alone long pants and high socks in the middle of summer. Forest bathing sounds great, but I don't know how to balance it against the very real risk of tick-borne illnesses. Keeping her out of the woods doesn't seem like a great answer, but neither does exposing her to potentially chronic illness. So, for now, we drive to the park, which is also a bad solution. It's a hopeless feeling.
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We also live in the woods, but to control the tick population, we sow birdseed all over the backyard. This attracts many types of birds and they seem to be eating not only the birdseed but many insects as well. Guinea Fowl are particularly natural predators of ticks. Additionally, I mow a large swath with a 4 foot wide mowing deck, and keep the grass short. Never venture off the cut grass paths. When I work, I pull my white socks up over my pants. Check yourself and family members every single time you return from outside.
Our local health clinic supplies us with 4 doses of doxycycline for adults at the beginning of summer. Be vigiliant, not afraid.
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Buy a small flock of chickens or guinea fowl. They will eat some of the ticks
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It's unfortunate and may be was scary for you to see 12 or so ticks on your daughter but let's not create unnecessary fear of ticks. Ticks are not mosquitoes and generally need a long time to do any real harm:
"Not all deer ticks are infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Ticks can become infected if they feed on small animals that are infected. The disease can be spread when an infected tick bites a person and stays attached for a period of time. In most cases, the tick must be attached for 36 hours or more before the bacteria can be transmitted."
https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2825/
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