Contemplative Practice: Forest Bathing
What is it about the woods that draws us? The smell of fresh air? The beauty of the animals scurrying or flying through the trees? Perhaps it is to experience Awe; an encounter with God.
Gregg’s Reflection
We spend each day walking the mountain behind our cabin, through aspen glade and montane forest. The woods are so thick we had to mark trails to keep from getting lost. In the winter, we snowshoe and ski these same trails.
We are well acquainted with the awe of a view from a peak, seeing a bear in the woods or an eagle soaring past. When we were younger, we focused on hiking the high mountains in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. As we’ve aged, we find delight in close up world; the microcosm of birds, bees, flowers and trees we find within a mile of our cabin. Each spring and into summer, the succession of wildflowers is amazing. Imagine our delight to find this passion for wild places we’ve held for decades is actually a contemplative practice.
Our walks in the woods took on deeper meaning when we began to unpack the practice of Forest Bathing. It is doubtless the favorite practice of my dear wife. So, get out your hiking boots, and microspikes if it’s icy, and trek into the woods to find your soul.
Journaling Prompts
One of the challenges of contemplative practice is to move from the head to the heart. Delight and Awe come from the heart. What would it look like for you to hunt for delight and awe on a nature hike? What would it take for you to commit to a walk in nature each day? After a week, what difference do you notice in your day?
Scripture
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
Exodus 3:1-2
The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him. Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the signs he had commanded him to perform.
Exodus 4:27
Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness.
Exodus 7:16
Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
1 Chronicles 16:33
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forests sing for joy.
Psalm 96:12
Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.
Isaiah 44:23
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
Luke 4:1
Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, where he stayed with his disciples.
John 11:54
Ancient Writings
If you wish to know the Creator, come to know his creatures. —St. Columban, Sermon 1. As the Irish scholar John Scotus Eriugena (c. 810–877 CE) states, “Every visible and invisible creature can be called a theophany, that is, an appearance of the divine.”
CAC Morning Devotion, 10/8/21
Believe me as one who has experience, you will find much more among the woods then ever you will among books. Woods and stones will teach you what you can never hear from any master.
Bernard of Clairvaux
Leave the roads; take the trails.
Pythagoras
Modern Writings
For all the great thoughts I have read
For all the deep books I have studied
None has brought me nearer to Spirit
Than a walk beneath shimmering leaves
Golden red with the fire of autumn
When the air is crisp
And the sun a pale eye, watching
I am a scholar of the senses
A theologian of the tangible
Spirit touches me and I touch Spirit
Each time I lift a leaf from my path
A thin flake of fire golden red
Still warm from the breath that made it
Steven Charleston, “Scholar of the Senses,” in Spirit Wheel: Meditations from an Indigenous Elder p. 22.
I’d rather be in the mountains thinking of God, than in church thinking about the mountains.
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.
The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing. The trees wave and the flowers bloom in our bodies as well as our souls, and every bird song, wind song, and tremendous storm song of the rocks in the heart of the mountains is our song, our very own, and sings our love.
Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.
To the dull mind nature is leaden. To the illuminated mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essay: Nature
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
We have the wind and the rain and the stars for our Bible. The world is an open Bible for us. We Indians have studied it for millions and millions of years.
Matthew King, spokesman of the Lakota people, Daily Meditations with Matthew Fox, 7/1/21
He who feels the spell of the wild, the rhythmic melody of falling water, the echoes among the crags, the birdsongs, the wind in the pines, the endless beat of waves upon the shore, is in tune with the universe.
Enos Mills
The little yellow flower that nobody notices on the edge of the road are saints looking up into the face of God.
Thomas Merton, Matthew Fox, A Way to God, Thomas Merton’s Creation Spirituality, p. 170
Nature was Saint Francis’ church. Mountains, prairies, canyons, and birds live a prayer all the time. Rain offers itself to the grasses. Rivers carry their waters to the sea. Lightning brightens the sky. Like a forest ecosystem, we are interdependent. Our connection with nature strengthens and inspires us. Wind dances with trees. Thunderstorms crackle. Coyotes howl. Crickets play music for the night.
Rebecca Wildbear, Prayers in the Dark, Animas Valley Institute, 4/23/21
Leave home in the sunshine: Dance through a meadow-Or sit by a stream and just be. The lilt of the water will gather your worries and carry them down to the sea.
J Donald Waters, And Wisdom Comes Quietly
When you look at the forest, you will tend to let your focus linger on one tree. Notice its imperfection, a bent trunk, a broken branch. As your focus lingers, you begin to realize this is what God looks like incarnated as a tree.
James Finley, Living School Teaching
Nature Mysticism was in fact a worthy first path for Francis, and also for Bonaventure who saw all things as a likeness of God (vestigia Devo), fingerprints and footprints that reveal the divine DNA underlying all living links in the Great Chain of Being.
Richard Rohr, Eager to Love, p. 46
Your Guide to Forest Bathing by Amos Clifford. The invitation is simple: Walk slowly [or sit still], while silently noticing what is in motion in the forest. There is always movement, even when things seem perfectly still. Strands of a web drift in the air, trees move in the breezes, birds fly by, and squirrels scramble in the branches, grasses bend, insects crawl. . . .
Until you become accustomed to it, walking slowly for more than a few minutes is, paradoxically, stressful. . . . Because the mind and body are a single entity, slowing our body will also calm our mind. . . . The eternal movement of the forest gives our minds something to engage with. Just as with sitting meditation the breath is always there and available for watching, in the forest there are always things in motion. Your mind will drift, and many other thoughts will arise. When they do, gently bring your attention back to noticing what's in motion.
Richard Rohr, CAC Morning Devotion 4/18/20
The practice of forest bathing was first documented in 800BC in the ancient Japanese religion of Shinto, which believes that everyone and everything is connected. Followers spent time in nature to achieve a deep relaxed state and now there are now over 60 national centres in Japan alone, where Shinrin Yoku is even prescribed by doctors for those suffering from ailments like anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure.
Workers in the country are encouraged to take time out each day from their routine, and go for a walk along dedicated trails, with the aim of re-charging, relaxing, and unwinding. Just two hours of walking in the forest is thought to be more beneficial than antidepressants, with the effects lasting up to 30 days.
Madison Burgess I tried the Japanese art of forest bathing, Daily Mail 4/13/24
“We know that breath is extremely important for helping you to relax and helping you to focus,” said Michael Fredericson, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Stanford University and codirector of the Stanford Center on Longevity.
“The first step is for people to really just be aware of their breath,” he said. “Just by doing that, you’re going to get a relaxation response. And by being aware of your breath, it will naturally start to slow down.”
Next, he said, consider the connection of your movement with your breath.
“Keep a regular breathing pattern — breathing in, hold it a little bit, then breathe out. And eventually you start timing that to your steps,” he said.
Terry Ward, Level up your next walk by focusing on this one thing
With the rise of digital burnout, disconnecting from our screens and reconnecting with nature is more important now than ever before; although outdoor exercise is a great way to get your heart-rate up while spending some time outside, it’s also important to unwind and relax in the outdoors, which is why we love forest bathing!
What’s forest bathing? Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is a mindfulness technique that originated in Japan in the 1980’s with the goal of reducing stress and screen-time while reconnecting with the living, breathing world around us.
So, it’s just a nature walk? Whereas the purpose of nature walks, hikes, or jogs are typically to reach a viewpoint or a specific distance-oriented goal, the purpose of forest bathing is to slow down, immerse ourselves in nature, and to become engulfed in the present moment. Forest bathing also differs from a typical nature walk because it requires disconnecting from potential distractions—such as phones, music, conversations, etc—and giving our undivided attention to our natural surroundings.
What if I don’t live near a forest? Despite its name, forest bathing doesn’t actually require a forest—it can be practiced anywhere in the great outdoors. All you need to do is head into nature and consciously connect with your surroundings by actively engaging your senses and focusing on the present. I’m in! How do I get started?
1. Make sure you have ample time set aside for this activity. Since the purpose of forest bathing is to relax and temporarily disconnect from our busy lives, it’s advised to not rush the process. Give yourself enough time to let your body and mind wander freely.
2. Dress and pack accordingly. Dress for the environment you will be in and bring any necessities that would normally accompany you on a typical nature walk (e.g. sunscreen, bug-spray, water, snacks, etc.) For your own personal safety, it’s advised to let friends and/or family know where you’ll be and to bring your phone with you in case of emergencies—just be sure to leave it on do-not-disturb or airplane mode
3. Find a spot in nature to forest bathe. This could be a spot in the woods, a park, a beach, a garden, or anywhere outdoors—as long as you feel comfortable and are able to relax in this spot.
4. Walk slowly through the natural environment and pause periodically to take in your surroundings. Engage your senses: pay attention to the birdsong, the rustle of the wind, the scent of the trees, the shapes of the clouds—anything that draws your attention. Allow yourself to become completely immersed in your environment. Looking to take it a step further? Combining meditation or journaling with forest bathing is a great way to reap the benefits of multiple mindfulness activities! Journaling about your forest bathing experiences is a great way to document the magic you experienced while in the great outdoors, and meditating is a great way to further activate your senses while forest bathing.
Wait—how long should I forest bathe for? Although research has shown that spending 120 minutesoutside each week is ideal, there isn’t a time requirement for forest bathing. Since the purpose of forest bathing is to reconnect with Mother Nature—and, in turn, ourselves— it’s recommended to forest bathe whenever your body needs it. If that means 20 minutes every day, that’s great! If that means 20 minutes every week, that’s also great! The only goal here is to get outside and immerse ourselves in the natural world.
Marie Rortvedt, Forest Bathing
Creation Practice: Go out into nature if you can, if that is impossible can you find a window or something from the natural world inside your home.
Listen and look into creation grounded in your whole self.
God is present and speaking to you through all of creation.
Start with what you are drawn to in your senses - a smell, a sense of the wind, the beauty of a flower, the simplicity of a rock, the sense of warmth from the Sun.
What do you notice? Where in your body do you experience God’s presence communicating to you? Could be a sense of warmth, or softness on your body, a quickening or a welling up in your heart, thoughts relating to what you see, a feeling of being connected to creation?
Take a moment to focus there.You might be moved to pray – respond spontaneously – gratitude, desire, concern.
At some point you may be drawn to let go of anything getting in the way of you communing with creation. You might let go of thoughts, emotions, sensations and stay present and open.
You and creation are in God. Move around these experiences as you feel drawn.
Brian McLaren, Living School Teaching
Deep meditations in the woods? Yes please. Forest therapy taps into the now-scientifically verified theory that spending time outside can make you happier and healthier. Forest bathing is a set of mindfulness practices done in nature to help you dissolve stress by connecting to your senses and to something greater than yourself—the energy and innate wisdom of the Earth.
For example, in an exercise called Texture Gathering, you wander slowly, often off the beaten path, exploring the way things feel—rough tree branches, decomposing leaves, slick stones. You become fully present and alive, and your anxieties and fears about the past and future start to slip away. Here, under the open sky, we did our first exercise, called Pleasures of Presence. We used our senses to explore our surroundings, first looking around with heightened awareness at our new environment, then closing our eyes to better hear the sounds of the forest and notice the wind, light and dark, and the feel of the Earth beneath us.
My feet fused to the forest floor through my hiking shoes, and I felt a subtle surge of energy run up my whole body. I stood taller, more securely, as sunlight filtered through the tree canopy and touched my face. But we had more to experience.
Meandering down, we focused on smells as we stopped to bend down and rummage through the damp ground cover, crunch leaves in our hands, or stick our noses into bark. And so it went for hours, with us stopping to talk to trees, me sitting on mossy rocks until I felt like I was a mossy rock. My heart and body were perfectly calm. I was grounded, ready to face anything with curiosity. Numerous US parks and resorts now offer guided forest-bathing activities, including hikes, meditation, and yoga under the canopy. To find forest therapy near you, go to natureandforesttherapy.org.
Tasha Eichenseher, We Explored Forest Bathing and Now We See Magic Everywhere, Outside Magazine 2/23