Living in a concrete jungle for 20+ years and you might begin to feel like you've been dumped in the river with a chunk of concrete tied to your feet. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it can get to one.
When I get to the point of wanting to hurl eggs at the cars honking outside my windows, I know it's time to get out of the city and into the woods. Walking, hiking, or just sitting in the forest has a restorative effect like little else (except maybe the beach.) There's a calmness and peace that seems to penetrate through to the bone.
In Japan they spent a lot of time and money researching the effects of what they call Shinrin-yoku, or Forest Bathing. There they don't go into the woods to hike or exercise, there is no end goal and one is encouraged to wander slowly, noticing the surroundings, sounds, and scents. Wanderers are to practice breathing and mindfulness; to turn off the cluttered, busy mind and just be. The Japanese found that Shinrin-yoku reduced stress hormones (and we all know what happens when stress is reduced...eggs stay in the fridge) and systolic blood pressure by a clinically significant amount- most likely due to the increased parasympathetic nerve activity.
There have been plenty of articles written about the positive effects of being in nature. An interesting and informative one I recommend is by Florence Williams, This Is Your Brain on Nature, for National Geographic. There really doesn't seem to be a question when it comes to whether or not spending time in a natural surrounding is healthier for us, the question is, what if we don't have access to that? There are some interesting suggestions as to possible solutions for this in her article.
There is also research being done on the effects of phytoncides, (volatile substances emitted from plants for protection against plant pathogens and insects) from trees, referenced in an article by Allison Aubrey for NPR. It seems there is evidence that essential oils diffused from certain trees and plants can be very beneficial to our health, not only to reduce stress but as anti-fungal agents and white-blood-cell boosters. (Most essential oil practitioners already know this.)
A solution to the problem of not being able to get out into nature often enough, is one I’ve recently developed out of sheer necessity.
Stones for the below practice can be found here.
FOREST BATHING AT HOME
Use at least two of the following stones and place them as described on the body layout chart. If you only have two place them in your palms. Any additional place at your root, crown, heart, etc.
Rainforest Rhyolite
1. In an oil diffuser (preferably a nebulizing diffuser), put 5 drops each of the following essential oils:
Pine
Spruce
Juniper
Cedar
Palo Santo (optional, and only 2 drops)
2. Play one of the Forest Sounds tracks you can find on YouTube.
3. Lay down in a comfortable place, put on your head phones, place your stones in the positions indicated on the body chart above, cover your eyes (alternately you can look at an image from nature), and relax. Give yourself at least 10 minutes, preferably much more.
4. Happy Forest Bathing in the Concrete Jungle!
Feel free to contact me after—I'd love to hear how it felt!