Forest Bathing

30 Conway Road,Camden ME 04843

22 April, 2023

Description

Join Certified Forest Therapy Guide Steve Ruelke for an Earth Day exploration of the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku which literally translates to bathing in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing. During the two-hour immersion into the forest atmosphere, Steve will offer you a series of invitations designed to reconnect you with the forest, "bathe" in its healing atmosphere, and begin to "rewild" your relationship with the rest of nature. The practice you will learn can lower your blood pressure, reduce stress levels, improve your mood, increase restfulness, and boost the immune system, especially the production and effectiveness of natural killer (NK) cells. This is not a hike or a nature walk. It's an easy journey which can be made safe and suitable for just about anyone. Here's a more detailed history and description of the practice: By way of history or, at least, recent history . . . we turn to 1980s Japan where the society, the culture, was changing. The high intensity of “modern” life was taking its toll; people were literally working themselves to death. The Japanese government saw the problem as the public health issue that it was (and is), so researchers went to work. What they discovered is, by now, very well documented – that time spent in the forest can reduce blood pressure, relieve stress [lower cortisol levels], increase restfulness, improve mood, and give a boost to one’s immune system, including the production of natural killer (NK) cells. With all of that said, the American version of forest bathing [aka, forest therapy or nature therapy] as envisioned by Association of Nature Therapy Guides and Trails [ANFT] to which Steve belongs, has at least four interrelated components: Pharmaceutical: This has to do with the way in which phytoncides (including α-pinene, β-pinene, d-limonene, sabinene, Myrcene, and camphene) “take advantage” of a drop in cortisol levels to boost the production and/or effectiveness of NK cells (See attached study published in the International journal of environmental research and public health and available through the NIH. [Or watch this quick and quirky video featuring Dr. Michael Greger.]). Meditative: A main thrust of our forest bathing practice is to help the practitioner enter more fully into the present moment, inviting them to tune into at least six of our many senses – sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, and “heart” – and enter into a state of what one might call “embodied awareness.” The idea is to bring the practitioner into a pleasurable sensory immersion into the rest of nature. Connectional: Unlike traditional mindfulness practice which encourages detachment, ANFT’s forest bathing version encourages engagement, the embrace of every pleasurable or delightful sensation the practitioner might discover, to know, on some level, that they are connected with all that is. Oftentimes trying for a specific outcome makes it more difficult to have an authentic experience. Although some effort/intentionality is needed, it’s more about letting go, relaxing into the experience. The practitioner is invited to approach the walk with “a child’s mind,” to be open and inquisitive, not overly concerned with practicalities and “getting it right.” Reciprocal: The reality of our connection with the more-than-human world is often acknowledged and honored by participants through some sort of ritual such as writing a note of thanks to be hidden under a rock or by reciting a poem or the hug of a tree . . . some act in which one acknowledges that the forest is not simply a resource to be used but a friend to be cherished. About Steve: Steve Ruelke is a forest bathing enthusiast, naturalist, and woodland saunterer who lives in the woods of Mid-Coast Maine. He has been trained and certified as a forest therapy guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs whose aim is to ignite and reignite our love for the more-than-human world. He holds a MDiv from Theological School at Drew University and is a trained spiritual director.