Tag: forest bathing central

May 14, 2018

Zen Tree Coloring Pages: Free Gift Inside!

Tree Coloring Pages

Hello kindred friends!

A few weeks ago, I got stranded at a hotel with my husband (tragic, right?) because we were in the middle of the snowstorm of the century and the highways home were actually closed.

We couldn’t have left if we wanted to.

So, I had some extra time to doodle, and I just thought I’d share the final products with you.

Seven of my own personally hand-drawn Zen tree coloring pages.

The concept of adult coloring has exploded in the last few years. Adult coloring books are everywhere and new modes of “coloring” are popping up right alongside them: diamond painting, color-by-number, dot grid coloring, etc.

There’s good reason to pick up coloring again as an adult too:

Research shows the therapeutic practice helps you hone your sense of mindfulness, relax the brain, and focus.

Plus, the finished pieces make for some great artwork for your walls or journal.

I’m hoping this gift gives you a well-deserved mind break.

How to Use the Tree Coloring Pages

I also think the tree ring drawing is a great journal page.

Write forest bathing haiku or record your thoughts during a forest bathing excursion around the lines in a circular pattern.

Actually, any of these pages could be incorporated into your journal. As you’re coloring, write down your thoughts in the white spaces.

You could also try your hand at drawing one of your own and writing your thoughts into the illustration as you do so.

A lot of beauty magic happens when you combine art and writing.

Here’s an example of what I mean about using the tree coloring pages for your nature journal:

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A post shared by Jessica Collins (@forestbathingcentral) on Mar 24, 2019 at 5:05pm PDT

Grab your tree coloring pages by clicking here.

I’d love to see what you do with them! Post them on Instagram and tag @ForestBathingCentral so we can see!

From my roots to yours,

~Jessica Marie

April 3, 2018

How to Forest Bathe in the Winter

{Pin me!}

*Please note, I have a few Amazon affiliate links in this post, which means I get a teensy commission, but it doesn’t affect your cost in any way. All commissions help keep this site running.

Forest bathing in the summer?

Pretty darn amazing. Effortless even.

Forest bathing in the winter?

Blech. Why bother.

It’s frigid…

The trees are in hibernation…

The trek requires much more preparation and gear by way of boots, jacket, hat, gloves, etc.

The air is plain old hostile sometimes…

…at least to me.

Especially when it’s 25 below zero. Your eyelids practically freeze shut.

But I do make an effort to get outside whenever it’s above freezing, at least for a little while.

I’m trying to make a more concerted effort to get outside in the winter, despite all my self-inflicted limitations.

I would challenge you to do the same. Even for just a few minutes.

I’m also trying to incorporate the forest into my indoor life.

So, that’s what made me think about what winter forest bathing looks like. (Plus, it’s snowing outside my window as I write this).

I want to show you a few ways that you can experience the benefits of forest bathing into the winter.

4 Ways to Forest Bathe in the Winter

#1 Nature Micro-Dosing

I refer to nature micro-dosing above when I talk about getting outside in the winter, at least for a few minutes. I also explain the concept of micro-dosing in this video.

Essentially, you should still make an effort to get outside and take in nature or sit in a sunny window to give yourself micro doses of nature in winter. The forest is still accessible to you, you just have to make the effort.

#2 Massage Your Senses

Even when you can’t physically get outside, you can still expose your senses to the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. You can still put all the concepts of mindfulness to practice indoors.

Sight

To find the sights of nature, you need look no further than YouTube. You can check out my forest bathing playlist or watch other videos of the forest. You can also take a few minutes to peruse forest images on photography websites. Studies show just looking at green imagery benefits your life.

{Related reading: check out this compilation of studies about the benefits of forest bathing}

Sound

To expose yourself to forest sounds, check out mynoise.net. I use this audio website all the time. I love listening to forest sounds to take me there in my imagination. Check out the Fairy Pond and Rainforest, Primeval Forest, and Japanese Garden audio streams, in particular.

Smell

The smells of the forest are always available to you in essential oil form. I recently grabbed some Hinoki Oil and a Deep Forest essential oil blend from Amazon. They basically smell like a pine forest (because that’s what they are!).

Hinoki essential oil, derived from cypress trees, was used in several studies to demonstrate how pine forests increase immune function and induce relaxation. Diffuse these pine-scented, straight-from-the-forest oils in your living room or make my essential-oil infused Forest Bath to experience the same benefits for yourself.

#3 Nature Visualization Therapy

You can also practice nature visualization to forest bathe in your imagination. Fun fact: Your mind doesn’t know the difference between visualization and real life. Even if you’re forest bathing in your head, your mind thinks you’re forest bathing for real.

Try a guided meditation, like this one to shift your mind into forest bathing mode. If you’re prone to anxiety like me, you might find this exercise really helpful in taming your nervous system.

#4 Try a Winter Forest Bathing Exercise

This winter forest bathing exercise helps you appreciate the processes that happen during the winter season. Make sure to bundle up enough to enjoy the outdoors or wait for a day when the temperatures are above freezing.

#5 Bring the Forest Indoors

No, I’m not advising you to plant a forest inside your house. I’m just suggesting you bring some of that living greenery indoors to infuse your living spaces with life. Bonsai trees, plants, terrariums, and other indoor foliage give you some measure of exposure to green when there’s no green outside.

Ever heard of Breathing Rooms? I just came across this concept while doing some research. I love this idea of dedicating a room in your house to cultivating fresh air. Gather some plants in your solarium and visit that room whenever you need to clear your lungs or take a break from worldly technology.

{Via}

I hope this article gives you some inspiration to continue to forest bathe in the winter, even when the snow and cold invade your favorite forest area.

Even though the winter isn’t the most inviting time to go forest bathing, there are still benefits from doing so. It’s a great way to experience the forest in all its different stages.

Try it!

How about you?

Do you make intentional efforts to forest bathe in the winter? What are your favorite ways to bring nature indoors?

February 2, 2018

50 Ways to Uplevel Your Forest Bathing Experience

If you’re one of the many people that can appreciate the subtle nuances that make forest bathing so satisfying, you’ll enjoy these strategies to take your practice a step further.

Or, you can use each one of these as a starting point if you’re just beginning to forest bathe.

These strategies help you mine the cracks of your forest bathing practice for gold.

Try these 50 ways to uplevel your shinrin-yoku experience:

Bring a magnifying glass. Check out nature in even more up-close detail.
Bring your journal.
Bare your feet
Use a walking stick. Make it a game to find the best one.
Use your imagination to build a fantasy story about your surroundings in your head a la Bridge to Terabithia or Where the Wild Things Are.
Bring your child with you and ask them general questions about the forest to see what they say.
Bring along a local field guide.
Go forest bathing at sunrise.
Leave your technology behind completely.
Pray.
Do a handstand and observe the trees from a new perspective.
Touch interesting textures with something other than your hands: your knees, toes, or nose.
Dig a hole.
Bury a burden in the hole you dug.
Carry parts of the forest with you as you walk, such as a pinch bouquet.
Leave a gift, something of yourself, for the forest (without littering). A kiss. A lock of hair. A prayer written in the soil.
Go forest bathing at sunset.
Read a nature poem before you go to set the tone.
Leave your worries at the forest entrance.
Smile.
Skip.
Do some stretches with the support of a tree.
Burn a mental snapshot.
Sing.
Set an intention for your walk before you go.
Lean in.
Look around and locate more things to be grateful for.
Bring your dog. See the forest through the eyes of your pet.
Try to scope out secret hiding spots like you would as a kid.
Look inside hollow trees.
Perform a one-word walking mantra meditation.
Take a moment to actually read the informational signs.
Follow the length of an entire vine with your hands.
Veer off the trail a tad.
Walk backwards for a short distance.
Try to decipher the answers to life’s biggest questions in the forest.
Stare intently at something interesting.
Take in the view of the forest on your back.
Follow the trail of an ant.
Find a high spot to look out over the horizon on.
Give back to the forest: pick up a piece of trash or send a mental blessing.
Put your feet in the water.
Write a message in the soil.
Leave a message in a hollow tree for someone to find.
Sway or do some Tai Chi moves.
Let the little kid inside of you dance when you feel compelled.
Listen for rhythms.
Make note of natural symmetries and patterns.
Learn one thing about how to survive in nature.
Take a moment to appreciate how tiny you are inside the forest from the Google-eye view.

Here’s a pinnable version to pin for later!

I hope this brainstorm helps you get more out of your next forest bathing experience. Let me know how it goes in the comments below!

January 3, 2018

Microdosing: The Solution When it’s Too Cold to Forest Bathe!

It’s been in the negative digits this week in Wisconsin. It’s rather unpleasant to be outside, even for a few seconds. It literally hurts your face to open the door. Even inside, we’re using space heaters to try and keep up with the chill in the air.

However, I have this burning itch inside me to experience nature every day. Can you relate?

I try to spend time in front of sunny windows or at least run to the mailbox to get the mail. That’s about all I can handle, but it’s better than the alternative of not getting any nature exposure (the horror!)

So, that’s why I thought it would be helpful to discuss how micro-dosing is the solution when it’s too cold outside to go forest bathing.

What is nature micro-dosing?

Micro-dosing on nature is about getting little bits of exposure to nature whenever you can. A quick walk outside with the dog, a quick snowball fight with the kids, a quick jaunt outside to fill the bird feeder… It’s getting outside for even just a few minutes when it’s otherwise impossible to be outside.

What are the benefits of forest micro-dosing?

You might think, why bother if I can only be outside for a few minutes?

Studies show that just by looking at plants or having a nature window view, you experience positive benefits, so you can imagine the advantages of forest bathing in microdoses.

Just 5 minutes of activity outside is enough to improve mood and self-esteem (and help you stay warm).

Even if you think going outside for a few minutes wouldn’t matter, it does! You should even be able to notice how you feel different when you skip it for a few days. You start to crave it!

How can you get your micro-dose of nature?

Even if you can’t get physically outside, you can view it from the window or sit in a sunny patch.

Gaze out a window at the glistening snow-covered branches.
Curl up in a sunny patch on the carpet like a cat. Or Make Your Own Sunshine!
Get as bundled up as you can and go lean on a tree for a few minutes.
Pay attention to one of the green flourishing house plants. Touch, smell, and view it.

This is how I like to micro-dose on -20 degree days:

Find a sunny spot on the carpet with a view of our treeline.
Set the 2 minute meditation timer on my Fitbit.
Follow the Fitbit deep breathing exercise with my chin tilted toward the sun.
When the breathing exercise is over, stare out the window at the trees for a few minutes longer.

Otherwise, I like to put as many layers on as possible and walk along our treeline and back.

It’s enough to fill my lungs with a quick hit of fresh air, change my scenery, change my perceptual input for a few minutes, and get natural sun and nature exposure.

Here’s a quick view of what micro-dosing looks like at my house:

I hope this inspires you to get outside, even just for a few minutes. I’d love to hear from you:

How are you going to get outside today? Do you notice a difference when you do versus when you don’t get outside every day?