Shinrin Yoku, from Japan, is a practice to rediscover psycho-physical well-being and re-establish a new and more intimate contact with Nature.
Shinrin Yoku teaches with a few simple steps to rediscover that well-being lost in the myriad of commitments, thoughts and problems of the modern lifestyle.
When was the last time you gave yourself a couple of hours in nature , in silence and enjoying your surroundings?
This would imply slowing down , at least during those few hours, the rhythms at which we have been accustomed to living.
Do you ever think that returning to Nature could be the right cure for the stress and anxiety that life today entails? Or even prevention for much more serious ailments and diseases ?
The practice of Shinrin Yoku is good for adults and children, teenagers, singles, ecological parents and children , everyone will benefit from it, plus a “side effect” much appreciated by the planet that you will discover by continuing to read this article.
Life seems to have become more complicated with the advancement of technological progress, social media, smartphones, multitasking, and everything seems designed to not allow you to stop and listen to yourself .
If this is combined with the consequent distancing from Nature , understood as an uncontaminated space, away from cars, smog, noise and distractions, the picture becomes even more complex.
Continue reading to discover how Shinrin Yoku was born and how it is practiced , a simple but profound therapy thanks to Nature which… cures us.

What does Shinrin Yoku mean and when was it born?
If you have never heard the term Shinrin Yoku, the meaning is this: Shinrin means “forest” and yoku “bath”, so the Italian translation Forest Bath, or Forest Bath is as accurate as ever.
Usually inside the house we only use 2 senses, sight and hearing, while immersed in Nature, smell and touch are also affected through the breeze that touches our skin and the scent of flowers and trees.
Said like this it may seem banal, but it is not so easy to connect with Nature if you have not been used to doing so. Caught as we are by a thousand distractions and thoughts, we need precise techniques and exercises to follow to have this experience. Smell, among other things, is the most powerful and atavistic sense, which is why aromatherapy in the woods has deeper results.
Shinrin Yoku was born in 1982 in Japan , one of the greenest nations in the world, its surface is in fact two-thirds covered by woods with a huge variety of trees.
The then Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Akiyama Tomohide understood, through some studies, the correlation between psycho-physical benefits and connection with Nature and launched a national public health program based on Shinrin Yoku, investing one million and a half dollars in 2004 for scientific research on health benefits.
After 40 years in the West (better late than never) we are witnessing a boom in forest bathing.
What is forest bathing?
You may be wondering: “But what do we mean by forest bathing?”
Simply put, just as bathing in the sea or in the water of lakes and rivers, it means totally immersing yourself in the nature that surrounds you with all 5 senses.

It’s not just about being in contact with Nature, but about connecting to it to carry out what Qing Li, the immunologist at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, describes as Forest Therapy (he is in fact head of the Forest Therapy Society).
The immunologist himself talks about a new medical science aimed at making us more active, relaxed and healthy, also reducing the risks of developing diseases such as ulcers, cancer, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, eating disorders as well as addictions and panic attacks.
Forest Medicine has scientifically proven, with studies carried out on hundreds of people, that the immune system benefits from forest bathing, this is because contact with Nature is an essential biological need for human beings.
Biophilia (from the Greek “love of life”) is the theory according to which humankind feels the need to maintain a connection with Nature precisely because it has evolved in it. It is therefore one of the most important remedies for stress and discomfort in the modern world.
We do not come from cities or concrete, we have created cities, houses and concrete in which we live, but all this leads to psycho-physical imbalances, also called Sick Building Syndrome, as can be read on the Ministry of Health website .
What we are made of calls out to us for our own health: forests, lakes, rivers and mountains are made of the same substances that make up our bones, our organs, our molecules.
They flow inside our cells, they resonate in us like an ancestral melody that asks us to return home to heal and protect it.
How to do Forest Bathing?
When was the last time you silenced your mind, with no cell phone, distractions, or things to do?
Without thinking about the past or the future, but only about the present moment?
Find out how to do it through Forest bathing , enjoying all its benefits!
Standing still and listening to the sounds of Nature helps to tune in to the ecosystem that surrounds us and of which we are part.
To do this you need to follow specific steps:
- Slow down , give yourself time to let go of your thoughts and listen to the silence that surrounds you
- Concentrate on your breathing , feel the fragrant and fresh air entering through your nostrils and filling your lungs and then, as you exhale, the warm air leaving your body, together with your thoughts.
- Welcome the sounds that come from outside to silence those inside you
- Close your eyes to immerse yourself in conscious , still listening and you will begin to connect with Nature
- Allow yourself to stay in this experience for a minimum of two hours and a maximum of four
…and it is at that point that the magic happens , that nature becomes medicine and we return to being one with everything.

Among the exercises to do in the woods there is also earthing , or walking barefoot on the earth, on the grass, on dry leaves.
This reconnects us to the primary source of energy: imagine the earth as a huge battery and our grounding, through our bare feet, allows us to recharge ourselves with pure and free energy!
What does forest bathing trigger in the body?
Through our senses, especially the sense of smell which is affected by aromatherapy in Nature, what acts on our organism are the volatile compounds produced by trees, called phytoncides , chemical substances of vegetal origin, different based on the type of plant that uses them releases and which help the immune system to fight viruses and bacteria through the so-called “natural killer cells”.
A conscious walk in the woods therefore transforms into a real moving meditation that unifies body and mind, bringing us back to the magnificent present moment, healing and nourishing us.
The benefits are countless:
- Improves mood
- Reduces blood pressure
- Relieves stress
- Improves cardiovascular and metabolic health
- It stimulates concentration and memory
- Mitigates depression
- Raise the pain threshold
- It infuses energy and vitality
- It causes blood sugar levels to drop
- Increases the production of anti-tumor proteins
- Boosts the immune system
- Helps lose weight
- Reduces insomnia
- Shortens rehabilitation times
In Italy, the researcher Francesco Meneguzzo and the national manager of the forest therapy project Federica Zabini study forest therapy together with the Higher Institute of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Sapienza University of Rome, Florence and Padua, and to the phytotherapy center of the Florence hospital to understand the statistics of the clinical results of immersion in the woods guided by psychotherapists and psychologists.
From their studies it emerges that: “The benefits come through the senses : listening to the sounds of a forest not contaminated by artificial noises induces relaxation and reduces anxiety, as does touching natural materials such as wood, rocks and moss.
The vision of repetitive, fractal structures, such as those present in trees, has been shown to reduce anxiety, depression and stress and the most subtle and unaware of our senses, the sense of smell, does even more: it brings monoterpenes into our organism and phytoncides emitted by plant leaves and forest soil, volatile molecules which are also constituents of the essential oils used in aromatherapy and which have proven effects on psychological and physiological well-being”.
Today it is also possible to measure the well-being derived from a Shinrin Yoku session through a questionnaire, the POMS ( Profile of Mood States ) which you can find in one of the books we suggest you read to learn more about the topic.
Where to do Forest Bathing?
While Japan reigns supreme when it comes to forests, all woods can be a perfect environment for forest bathing!

Here are a few recommendations where you can enjoy forest bathing.
- The Lodge at Woodloch, Pennsylvania
- Stowe Mountain Lodge, Vermont
- Grace Mayflower Inn & Spa, Connecticut
- Primland, Virginia
- L’Auberge de Sedona, Arizona
For eco-logists who live in other regions, don’t despair! You can also practice Shinrin Yoku in the parks of your cities, in a group or individually! Or use a website like Forest Bathing Finder to find a planned walk near you. You can also check for Meetups or Facebook groups to find like-minded forest bathers to walk with.
And even in the city, as Miles Richardson , professor of Human Factors and Nature Connectedness at the School of Psychology at the University of Derby, reminds us: in the city we can look at the sky, the clouds, the stars or the dawn, the trees, listen to the birds singing and smelling the flowers.
All this gives more value and meaning to daily life, like a return home through the emotional experience of the beauty of Nature.
Conclusion
Here we are at the end of this article on the therapeutic practice of Shinrin Yoku, a practice that can be summarized in three points:
- Reconnection with Nature through the senses
- Finding physical and mental balance
- Respect for the Nature that takes care of us
Like other practices and lifestyles, everything leads back to a sense of gratitude and respect for our Mother Earth who welcomes us, nourishes us and cares for us.
Voluntarily connecting with Nature produces a spontaneous commitment to activities that preserve it. As Professor Miles Richardson states:
“The connection with Nature represents perhaps the strongest predictor of ecological behavior”, which is why it is so important to practice this experience from childhood, to raise adults who are more aware and respectful of the environment, a truly important “side-effect” , not do you find it too?
We hope that after reading this article you will join the thousands of people who practice conscious immersion in Nature to find serenity, joy and connection with the whole of which you are part!