Tag: shinrin yoku

July 6, 2019

The Thinking Tree: Brain Catharsis in the Forest

On my birthday, all I asked for was a day alone in the woods.

That’s all I really wanted.

It just felt right.

You can probably guess why.

We lead really interrupted lives.

When I’m home alone for several days with children, for example, I start to realize just how interrupted I am.

I can’t start a project,

Read a page in a book,

Watch a Youtube video,

Start an Amazon order,

Write a blog post,

Experience a meditation…

Without being interrupted approximately 12,382 times.

Just by the kids.

That’s not even counting the ads, the outside influences, the phone, the dogs, etc.

Ultimately…

I cannot start a thought and finish it to completion.

How often are your thoughts interrupted?

Do you know where you can start a thought and finish it to completion?

The forest.

Or perhaps a sensory deprivation tank.

But that costs and takes more effort to organize.

Forest bathing is free and accessible.

So, to the forest I went.

And I did a few practices there to allow my thoughts to flow uninterrupted.

I found a sit spot off the trail in case anyone else was on the trails.

I flipped my phone to silent,

And I started a mindfulness exercise by concentrating on one leaf on a stump. I returned to that same leaf every time my thoughts started to wander.

I also focused on my breathing, taking in the minty fresh air.

After grounding myself like this, I finally did allow my mind to wander.

I also brought my journal and other writing paper in case I needed to brainstorm and wring out my soaked mind.

And it was glorious!

A novelty really.

To sit quietly and allow the forest to focus me rather than allowing my focus to be stolen from me.

The next time you’re in need of a mind break (and it takes some intentional focus to even notice when this is happening), find your thinking tree.

The Thinking Tree Exercise

Find a quiet sit spot [learn about sit spots here] in the forest, a park, or your yard. Ideally away from passersby and other distractions.
Take up to 10 minutes to settle in, taking deep breaths.
Find a spot to focus. Could be something like the tip of a plant, a certain leaf, or a pebble. Every time your mind starts to wander, bring your attention back to your focus spot.
Once you’re grounded and your mind has quieted, shift into thinking mode. Don’t force thought, just allow your mind to wander and your thoughts to focus wherever they will.
Keep a notebook handy to write down any ideas you want to remember later.
Just allow your thoughts and follow them wherever they lead.
If something has been weighing heavily on your mind, it will probably naturally come in. Let it. Oftentimes, nature is a great place to find solutions or perspective for those problems. If a question has been bugging you lately or you need clarity on a decision, let it in. If everything is going well, let it in. Give your mind space to think about whatever it gravitates toward. Only try to steer your thought process toward the productive, not the limiting.
When you feel like you’ve reached the completion of this exercise, however long that takes, close your eyes, take a few culminating breaths, and return to your normal routine.
Take a moment to think about how good this exercise makes you feel, to follow thoughts without unwanted interruption.

Check out this Livestream where I explain the process in visual form.

As simple as this exercise sounds, the Thinking Tree exercise is profoundly cathartic. It’s brain catharsis.

When you return home from this exercise, you should notice a sense of relief at allowing your brain to do its thing, uninterrupted.

You might find you’re able to concentrate better once your brain is wrung out.

You may have more patience.

You may feel a tangible sense of relief.

We all need those breaks from interruption.

Return to your thinking tree every time you need a break from over-stimulation, too much input, too much distraction, too much interruption.

I’d love to hear from you…come back and tell me about your experiences at The Thinking Tree.

January 28, 2019

A Winter Forest Bathing Exercise

What does winter remind you of?

Quick, right off the top of your head, you’re likely to come up with words like:

Hibernation.

Cold.

Snow.

Grayness.

Cold!

Many negative adjectives get attributed to winter such as dead, gray, cold, arctic, chilly, and barren.

As a Wisconsin native, I have my own aversions to winter. Being so far removed from the vibrating nature of summer makes me feel sad and closed off. I cringe in the late summer and fall, thinking about the oncoming weather changes.

I dread winter.

The outside world slows down and makes its way inside.

However, this year, I’ve tried to make a mental shift from the dread of winter to the opportunity in the season instead.

Of course, the life of trees holds the perfect metaphor for this.

Dormancy allows for maximum yield.

What happens to trees in winter?

It’s easy to think of the trees as “dead” in the winter. In fact, that’s often how we talk about them. But they’re far from dead!

The grueling conditions teach them how to thrive instead of die.

During their dormancy period, trees go through a slowing, self-preservation stage in order to proliferate come warmer weather.

An apple tree can’t produce a very good harvest unless they go through an adequate dormancy period.

Dormancy allows for maximum yield!

And even while the upper portions of trees stop growing in winter, their roots are very much alive and extending.

The metaphor is so perfect, it makes me a little giddy!

How to Human in the winter

The winter is the perfect time for humans to go inside too. Warm homes where we gather are where are roots also extend.

We need the period of rest and preservation to come alive in the summer.

We need the extremes of hot and cold to appreciate the full spectrum of temperature and season.

I mean, I think about the sheer work summer brings with it: the constant proliferation of weeds, the steady growth of lawn, the infiltration of bugs, the watering, and the number of activities I feel obligated to do outside while I can.

In winter, we can take a break from all those responsibilities and obligations. Let them lie in retreat under sheaths of snow.

We can focus on the activities that took a backseat in the summer, such as the waiting sewing projects, the interior repairs, the shelves of books that went unread.

That go-go-go energy of summer needs a balance of winter energy, just like the yin and yang, the masculine and feminine. Balance.

Winter is a slowing down and rooting, not a long, cold death.

The grueling conditions can teach us how to thrive instead of wither as well.

We don’t die slow deaths in the winter, like it feels like sometimes, we shed the layers that don’t serve us anymore and pay attention to what keeps us alive, not just physically but mentally too.

So, today, I offer you a winter forest bathing exercise to go along with this sentiment of rest and balance.

Winter Forest Bathing Exercise

Head to your favorite nature space outside. Make sure you’re bundled up enough to stay warm and comfortable.
Lean up against a tree or other natural structure and take a few large breaths, finding a deeper sense of relaxation with each breath. You may feel natural closing your eyes.
Take a moment to identify with the tree or object holding you up. The intense process its undertaking at this very moment.
Allow yourself to become drawn into the same process as you rest back-to-back. The turning inward. The slowing. The releasing of all the superfluous layers and stripping down to your true source of lifeblood. (The forest bathing version of the KonMarie method, haha).
Find the relaxation, the turning inward, the permission inside the slowness.
Next, bring your awareness to the outer layers of your body. The ones closest to the surface, exposed to the air. Next, bring your attention to the layer under that and the layer under that until you get to the core of your body.
Take a moment to appreciate how the outer layers of your body protect the deep warmth of your beating heart. Your body shivers and contracts and does all it can to preserve your inner body temperature. A gift. Appreciate these signs of self-preservation.
Now, slowly open your eyes to the life all around you. Smoke from chimneys, tweets from the hardy winter birds, deciduous greenery, tracks in the snow from romping rabbits. Make note of all the signs of life all around you.
Then, slowly make your way inside, taking the new insights this winter forest bathing practice gave with you.

Journaling challenge: use one page in your journal to doodle the signs of life you noticed. On another page, draw or describe the layers of meaning you noticed in the lively dormancy of winter.

Bonus kid-friendly challenge: gather little remnants of nature in your pockets. Bring them inside and set them up in a nice little nature display. Set out a magnifying glass for further inspection.

{If you enjoyed this exercise, check out our free forest bathing starter guide with three more in-depth forest bathing invitations.}

I’d love to hear your thoughts or see your journals. Come on back here and drop a comment about your winter forest bathing experience or drop them in the Forest Bathing Central Facebook Group.

December 5, 2018

Our Top 10 Forest Bathing Tips

Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, isn’t complicated. In fact, I’d consider “complicated” an opposing principle of forest bathing.

Forest bathing is all about taking in the scenery and impact of the forest through all the senses.

In the Forest Bathing Immersion Guide, the first instruction is to: Open forest. Insert human.

Really, it is no more difficult than that.

But, a few tips and tricks can enrich your experience.

So, we’re sharing our top 10 forest bathing tips, even though we could probably come up with hundreds;)

{Learn more about forest bathing with our free starter guide.}

Top 10 Forest Bathing Tips

Pre-1: just get outside and don’t make it too complicated. But we talked about that already.

Limit technology and distractions. The entire point of forest bathing is to take a break from the whir and buzz and breakneck pace of the technological world. You may need to reach for your phone for GPS, safety, or occasional Instagram purposes, but try to limit phone use as much as you can. If you really want to take snapshots of memorable moments, you can always try imprinting instead.
Find a sit spot you can return to. Read all about what sit spots are and how to find one here.
Set an intention for your practice. Just like they say in yoga, set an intention for your practice. When you enter the woods, think about something simple you want to accomplish while you’re there. Perhaps you need to de-stress from a harried day at the office or you want to feel a little magic, then let that be your intention. Some other examples of forest bathing intentions include: to feel relaxed, to tone down anxiety, to feel closer to God, to notice something new, to tune your ear to bird songs.
Your intention should be very simple and related to being in the forest. Your intention shouldn’t be to figure out how to solve your whole family’s problems. That’s too big and unrelated. However, you may be able to get a short reprieve from family drama in the forest so you can return refreshed.
Don’t force it. Even if you have an intention, don’t force it. Don’t feel obligated to leave the forest a less stressed, changed person. Don’t feel pressured to go to the forest so you can relax and get on with your life. Wrap your intention loosely around your shoulders and allow whatever happens to happen.
Perform an entrance ritual. I like to call this your threshold exercise. Find a ritual you can perform before entering the forest to set the practice apart from the rest of your day, to separate the experience from your frenzied life. To let go.
My favorite threshold exercise is to practice deep breathing through some branch-supported stretches. Some forest bathers leave their cares with a worry stone or worry tree. You may even practice changing your shoes or wiping your feet before entering the forest. Whatever threshold exercise you choose, use the time to transition and adjust your mindset.
Don’t go far. Although some liken forest bathing to hiking, you really don’t want to “travel” when you’re forest bathing. You should stay within a general vicinity as you move through the exercises. You may choose not to even move from your sit spot the entire time. But forest bathing is more about standing still and noticing than moving at any sort of notable pace.
Engage all your senses. Use your five+ senses to really experience the full spectrum of the forest. Forest bathing is an exercise in mindfulness where you pay attention to everything happening right now.
[Your “other” senses]
Bring your journal. A nature journal is one of a forest bather’s best allies. Journaling is a means of gathering your thoughts and experiences into a cohesive message or record. Journaling also guides you to notice things and put them into words. You can use your journal to draw and study plants, record observations from your sit spot, focus your attention, write passing thoughts, or record haiku moments before they flash away.
You could also use your journal to record information about your favorite trails, store or draw trail maps, or press leaves. You’ll be glad you have these records someday when you look back at all your entries and relive your favorite moments. You’ll have a tangible record of all your forest enrichment.
Practice gratitude. Cultivate a heart of gratefulness whenever you go into the forest. Any time, really. But gratitude for nature and its Creator changes your entire perspective.
To practice gratitude, just think about all the things you’re thankful for right where you’re at. Whenever you notice something that warms your heart or makes you excited, extend your gratitude toward it. Forest bathing is meant to be a pleasant activity, and gratitude enhances those pleasantries. Getting into the practice of gratitude enriches the entire experience–and your life!
Perform an exit ritual. Just like you perform an entrance ritual to shift your focus, you can also practice an exit ritual to transition back into your regular life. This helps you sort of bring your head back out of the clouds (er, trees), so to speak, and prepare your mind for the change. Change your shoes back. Use this time to journal. Or just take a minute to take in how you feel after your forest bathing adventure.

I also explain all of these forest bathing tips in this video:

I sure hope these forest bathing tips enrich your next experience in the forest. They’re simple, yet very profound once you actually put them into practice.

I want to know…

What are your favorite forest bathing tips?

December 3, 2018

Forest Bathing Haiku to Help You Re-Imagine Your Connection to Nature

Haiku is the perfect complement to forest bathing.

Dontcha think?

The meticulous form of poetry is all about putting tiny moments into quick words.

The words make meaning out of seemingly trivial moments.

Most classic haiku is based on nature too.

The noticing takes practice in mindfulness.

You have to pay attention first, to be able to put those moments into words.

So, haiku gives you an objective and outlet to pay attention to small details.

If you go looking for those moments, to be able to put them into words, you’ll suddenly notice them everywhere.

So, just like you do when you go forest bathing, you go into nature…

Take in all the sights, sounds, smells, feelings…

And put them into words.

Carefully crafted, meaningful words.

Haiku is a tool you can use to really capture your forest bathing experience.

If that right there makes your stomach leap a little, like it does to mine, then keep reading…

Since forest bathing and haiku seem to originate from the same realm, I thought it would be fun to combine the two here. Let’s take a look at what haiku is all about.

How to write forest bathing haiku

Let’s talk about how to write forest bathing haiku so you can try it for yourself.

First, pay attention to any tiny little instance or detail you notice in nature. A fake-looking mushroom, a cobweb spindle running across your forehead, the sound of fingers rubbing on bark. Perhaps you may wish to write them down in your nature journal.
Then, try to put those details into words. Each haiku poem is about just one of those minuscule details, not a bunch. You don’t need to explain the meaning of life in 17 syllables, just one simple element at a time. Takes some of the pressure off.
The traditional haiku uses 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the third line. Try to arrange your words thusly.
Marvel at the significance those simple moments carry. How interesting they are. How much haiku enriches your forest bathing practice.

By practicing haiku, you get better and better at noticing those slight moments.

If you were really dedicated, you would challenge yourself to write three haiku poems after every forest bathing trip.

Forest bathing haiku examples

Here are a few of my favorite examples of forest bathing haiku. Notice how the writer notices, how the senses are at play:

The smell of some tree
I don’t recognize causes
Me pause on my walk

~Calvin Olsen

Moon surprises me
With its fullness: it all but
Drowns out dead branches

~Calvin Olsen

Break in the weather
I lean on a tree, the tree
In gusts leans on me

~Calvin Olsen

Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in rage
with no leaves to blow

~Natsume Soseki

An aging willow–
its image unsteady
in the flowing stream

~Robert Spiess

When you go looking
for the secrets of the woods
you miss them happen

~Jessica Collins (that’s me)

We scare each other
The deer running from its bed
And me standing still

~Jessica Collins

And this one’s just for tongue-in-cheek fun…

You don’t get famous
Writing haiku, you could earn
fame by living it

~Jessica Collins

The Forest Bathing Haiku Challenge

The next time you go forest bathing, bring your journal along. Don’t force the haiku or the noticing, but let the little images of the forest come to you and jot them down.

Let the magic happen in front of you, don’t force a search party to find it. You get me?

When you get home, try putting those moments into poetry.

I’d love for you to share what you come up with in the comments below or the Forest Bathing Central Facebook group.

October 8, 2018

Forest Bathing and Green Color Psychology

I am drawn to the color green.

Like any good little nature lover.

I just looked over and not only am I wearing green, but my purse and laptop bags are green. Green is woven through my house in various decorations. My branding for this site and my freelance/fitness site have green in them, naturally.

Green, green, everywhere!

I was thinking about why I’m so drawn to the color and it led me to research about color therapy and green psychology.

Forest Bathing and Green Psychology

Green is associated with livelihood.

Perhaps that goes without saying because green = photosynthesis = life.

We are also encouraged to eat our greens in unlimited supply. Edible greens are both alive and life sustaining.

In fact, the chlorophyll that gives plants their green color converts sunlight into energy.

By ingesting greens, we get to partake of sunbeams and life energies.

That’s some glittery magic unicorn wands, if you think about it.

Makes a bowl of spinach sound much more exciting now too, doesn’t it?

Green signifies growth.

It also symbolizes wealth.

Green makes me think of a rich, pulsing spring forest brimming with life! That’s exactly what the color represents internally as well as externally.

Green is at the center of our planet and our hearts.

Jades and olives also elicits a charged yet calm and balanced energy.

Is that the epitome of forest bathing, or what?

That’s pretty much the goal of forest bathing for me and many others.

To feel energized yet grounded. To restore equilibrium.

Therapists use green in chromatic color therapy to deactivate nervous energy, stimulate depleted energy, and calm the soul.

Um, yes please!

Interior designers use natural shades of green and plant life to create a clean, relaxing home sanctuary.

Yes, and more!

Hospitals have long incorporated green into their color schemes. As William Ludlow put it “Our eyes were made to find rest and contentment in soft greens.”

Yes, yes, yes!

On the other hand…

A deficiency of green can cause irritability, fatigue, an unhealthy turning inward.

So, go immerse yourself in green to treat your deficiency.

Here’s how:

Green Forest Bathing Exercise

Here’s a quick exercise to calm anxious energy and ground your wily thoughts.

{If you enjoy forest bathing exercises like this, grab your free forest bathing starter guide.}

I hope you enjoyed this exploration of green psychology.

The next time you’re in the forest, pay attention to how alive the green makes the woods feel.

Such a friendly and inviting color.

From my green roots to yours,

~Jess

I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!