Forest Bathing

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Not exactly to do with books/authors, but PG discovered a term he hadn’t seen before: Forest Bathing.

In his youth, PG spent more time in forests than most others his age did, but he never thought of it as akin to bathing.

From WebMD:

It’s nearly 7 p.m. on a chilly spring day, and the gates of the lush, 127-acre Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden have closed for the day.

It’s time for a private event — Forest Bathing: Full Moon Edition.

Certified guides Jackie Kuang and Debra Wilbur lead the 10 participants into the gardens, leaving behind the din of a wedding reception in a nearby building and several male peacocks in residence, shrieking and showing off their magnificent feathers.

As the group walks farther into the grounds the sounds change: birds, insects, wind in the leaves. Things that trigger other senses should come to play as well, such as the scents of the flowers and grass, the colors that pop from tree to tree. Over the course of the evening, the guides will issue four ”invitations” for participants to commune with nature and, if they wish, share with others what it all means to them.

The practice of forest bathing, also called forest therapy, involves no bathing and isn’t led by a therapist but a trained, certified guide or guides. In Japan, the practice is decades old and known as shinrin-yoku, which means “taking in the forest.” Among the benefits, say practitioners and some researchers, are relaxation, less stress, connections with nature and, perhaps, insights to take home.

Critics often scoff that research about the practice is lacking, but there is growing scientific evidence that getting outside in a natural setting is good for mind-body health. And this back-to-nature movement isn’t confined to forest therapy. Some medical doctors have trained to become forest therapy guides.

Link to the rest at WebMD

Much of PG’s youthful time in forests was in a National Forest which bordered his family’s small ranch.

While he certainly felt great in the forest (and never saw another human being while wandering around), he did need to keep an eye out for animals larger than himself who were not vegetarians. He never actually encountered any, but, on occasion, saw enough signs such large creatures (or packs of medium-sized creatures) had been present during the recent past that he never fully relaxed into a state comparable to soaking in the bathtub.

While PG does not question the growing scientific evidence that getting outside in a natural environment is a wonderful thing, he suspects the practitioners of forest therapy would recommend avoiding getting inside any non-human species.

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