Have you ever heard of ‘forest bathing’?
I hadn’t until very recently, and as it turns out, I’d been doing it already without realising – and I’d wager you have, too.
The Japanese art of shinrin-yoku doesn’t involve swimming, and it doesn’t involve kicking off your flip-flops and setting a towel down on the forest floor.
No – instead, forest bathing is an act that’s closely linked to mindfulness and meditation. It encourages you to be in the moment, and to reconnect with natural surroundings on a deeper level.
Championed by Japan, forest bathing can have a huge beneficial impact on your stress levels. A government study demonstrated how a two-hour forest-bathing session could reduce blood pressure, improve concentration and even boost your immune system.