I Went Swimming in the Woods in Central Park and It Wasn’t Bullshit.
“Hiking. You describe hiking.” This is the main reaction I saw on Twitter to the latest hype around “forest bathing,” the practice of leisurely meditative walks in nature.
Yes, this is a bit of a hike when you are walking in nature. But unlike hiking, you don’t put a lot of energy and, unlike scientific walks in nature, you don’t analyze or try to learn about the environment. Instead, you walk slowly and concentrate on sensory information, letting all other thoughts go. You can look at things, touch them, hear them, smell them. If they are not poisonous, taste them. The goal is to observe a relaxing environment in order to relax. And there is scientific evidence for its effectiveness.
Forest bathing was developed in the 1980s in Japan, where it is known as shinrin-youku, as part of a broader line of forest therapy . The Government’s Executive Committee for Forest Therapy certifies certain sites as forest therapy bases based on criteria such as proper maintenance, gentle walking paths, and lowering blood pressure and heart rate while walking.
In America, bathing in the woods is more like a whim, albeit on the way to joining the pantheon of mindfulness practices such as meditation and yoga. Media coverage is somewhat muddy; In particular, a recent video by Mashable makes this walk no different from any other walk in the woods.
Unlike the activities described above, forest bathing is focused specifically on relaxation and meditation. The scientific evidence for nature ‘s healing properties applies to all outdoor activities: Trees release relaxing essential oils called phytoncides; just looking at nature photography can reduce your stress levels. Swimming in the forest is just one of the outdoor activities that emphasize relaxation and meditation. And there is a lot of evidence that meditation works.
Since the practice does not require special equipment or skills, each reporter who covers it tends to take their own guided bathing walk in the forest. For the Atlantic, Rahava Haile walked in Joaquin Miller Park in Auckland. Quartz’s Efrat Livni walked along the Oakland Big Trees Trail, while Telegraph’s Daniel Demetriou walked along Japan’s Kumano Kodo Street. For the Boston Globe, Diane Bair and Pamela Wright walked with Dr. Nina Smiley through the Mohonk Nature Reserve in New York’s Hudson Valley. Allison Aubrey of Morning Edition traveled to Roosevelt Island in New York.
I took a forest bath in the southwest corner of Central Park. Like the Globe authors, I was led by Dr. Smiley, a psychologist who promotes meditation and leads forest walks at Mohonk Mountain House, an old luxury castle resort owned by her husband and their family. Unlike the Globe authors, I could smell hot dog carts in the distance.
We begin by sitting on a park bench and entering a typical meditative state: close our eyes, breathe slowly and completely, letting thoughts slip away, focusing on hearing, touch and smell. We slowly open our eyes and Dr. Smiley leads me on a slow and careful walk along the cobbled path around the pond. We stop by a few bushes, caress the leaves and flowers, smell them, notice different shapes, patterns and colors on each leaf.
I’m very shy at first and I need to gently remind myself every few seconds that no one is paying attention, no one cares, and even if they did, it would not affect me. Each time I become a little more effective, allowing me to relax and fully engage in the process, rather than introspection. It’s like I’m training my muscles.
I try to ignore the people around us, clinging to the illusion that we are in the woods until I notice that Dr. Smiley is not turning people off. She smiles at the cute guy who looks at her, and then goes back to our exploration of the ducks collecting food in the clover. “Perhaps a metaphor,” she says of ducks, which is vague enough that I suppose it doesn’t count as analysis.
Dr. Smiley guides us in progressive present tense, in subjectless sentences. “Breathe calmly, breathe fully.” “Looking at the leaves against the sky.” I understand that this is how meditation tapes should sound, although the only meditation tapes I heard were actually fictional, part of a dystopian audio drama . Later I ask her if people should only go swimming in the forest with a guide or in a group. She gives the answer, which I have already secretly decided that it is correct: of course, you can do it yourself. A guide can help you do this well, but it’s not uncommon.
Dr. Smiley has long advocated micromeditations of one to three minutes each for those who cannot continue to meditate because they cannot engage in longer sessions. She sees forest bathing as one way to accustom herself to these micromeditations. By bringing the plant to your workspace or practicing looking out the window for a minute, you can remind your brain of longer outdoor activities and train your brain to enter a meditative state. These short sessions are still very helpful to calm yourself in the middle of a busy day, or to notice your tension and just sit and breathe, she says.
Just as meditation does not necessarily require twenty minutes in a quiet room, so bathing in the forest does not necessarily require three hours in the forest. Why choose nature at all, and not reflect on the architecture of the quarter? Dr. Smiley says this is possible, but since nature is more soothing to begin with, it is an easier path to a meditative state without distractions. She also recommends parks and nature for their spaciousness as an antidote to curtain-sided tendencies.
Of course, as Haile in the Atlantic points out, the forest is a particularly comfortable part of nature, with no distractions like a desert or wet swamp. It is not for nothing that forest bathing first appeared in temperate forests in Japan and became widespread in the temperate coastal cities of America. In other settings, being overly aware of your surroundings is much less relaxing.
However, even surrounded by locals and tourists on the outskirts of Central Park, I felt more aware and relaxed, a feeling that lasted for hours when I usually strenuous drive home through Manhattan. Swimming in the forest in the park became even more beneficial for me because I learned to find peace without relying on an ideal environment.
Swimming in the forest is not only about hiking, but also easy to learn. It doesn’t have to change your life. But it’s rooted in a real, scientifically observable process, and it’s a great way to learn the basics of meditation.