Trees of Peace

Shinrin-yoku is Japanese and translates literally to »forest bathing«. So immerse yourself in green and do something good for your health.

FOREST BATHING. THAT sounds a little like putting on a bikini and hugging trees. But forest bathing isn’t some esoteric practice; it is a scientifically proven method of relaxation. It also didn’t originate with a bunch of European hippies, as one might assume. It comes from Asia. In fact, the term shinrin-yoku ( literally » forest b athing«) w as i ntroduced by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture in the early eighties.

This was followed by a million-dollar research programme to prove its medical efficacy, plus a centre for »forest therapy« – and on top of it all, Japanese universities offer the possibility to specialise in »forest medicine«. Forest bathing is a sort of »green healing«. It consists of going into a forest, immersing yourself in the atmosphere, inhaling all the smells. In a place where the treetops sway in the wind, the mossy ground feathers your feet and the air is both spicy and clear. A nice thought. But apart from all the beautiful imagery, forest bathing truly is a healthy pastime: among the trees, your heart beats more slowly, your blood pressure drops, and your stress level falls.

Incidentally, and astonishingly, even the sight of green is enough. A 1984 study caused quite a sensation when it showed that hospital patients recover more quickly when they have a view of nature. The Swedish researcher Roger Ulrich compared the medical records of 46 patients, one half of which had to stare at a wall outside their window while the other half could look out at trees. And lo and behold, the patients who had a view of nature were discharged a day sooner than the other group. The tree-watchers even needed less pain relief medication.

There is a scientific term to describe the phenomenon that people love living things: »biophilia«, coined by the evolutionary biologist Edward O. Wilson in the 1980s. Apparently, unspoilt nature is part of our DNA, and therefore it is good for us. Especially when the world gets a bit too loud for comfort. »The forest invites us to listen,« Hermann Hesse once said. Too true. Whether in one of our many European forests, among spruce, larch or beech – among the trees you can breathe a breath of fresh air. In peace. Put the phone away. No appointments or other errands to think about. And instead of sweating your way along some fitness trail, forest bathing allows you to engage in a truly wonderful activity: just wandering through nature with no particular destination in mind.The lines »The birds are asleep in the trees: / Wait; soon like these / Thou too shalt rest« are from the poem Wanderer’s Nightsong II by Goethe. He actually wrote these words while in the woods.

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