Wednesday 14 July 2010

Post No. 131 - Forest Bathing

I came across a new term recently: "forest bathing". This describes what I need to do from time to time (especially for the last few weeks, when I have been unable to get out of the city!) brilliantly, and is a nice, new dimension to the joys of going bush ...

Apart from the Wikpedia entry, one link has the following on this:

"Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that although allergies and the promise of air-conditioning tend to drive people indoors at this time of year, when people spend time in more natural surroundings — forests, parks, and other places with plenty of trees — they experience increased immune function. A study of 280 healthy people in Japan, where visiting nature parks for therapeutic effect has become a popular practice called 'Shinrin-yoku,' or 'forest bathing,' found that being among plants produced 'lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure,' among other things. Another study in 2007 showed that men who took two-hour walks in a forest over two days had a 50-percent spike in levels of natural killer cells, and a third study found an increase in white blood cells that lasted for a week in women exposed to phytoncides in forest air."
Love, light, hugs and blessings

Gnwmythr

This post's photo is yet to be posted.

Tags: health, envitronment, trees, emotions, rejuvenation, relaxation, de-stressing, daily life,

First published: Thursday 14th July, 2010 (Bastille Day)

Last edited: Thursday 14th July, 2010