Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Timeout Tuesday - Shinrin Yoku

Forest Bathing

ok, not really but...YES PLEASE!!


Shinrin Yoku or Forest Bathing or Forest Medicine is an amazing thing.  Below is a video about concept that will lead you to a bigger time out (if you allow it) that you should really schedule for yourself at least once a month.  Especially if you suffer from depression, obesity and/or have high stress levels.  Some scientists in Japan at the Nippon Medical School have also found evidence that it helps to fight cancer.

The man featured in the video below, Qing Li (he mentions two books in the interview, I've only been able to find one of them them....the link is below), has been studying the effects of Forest Bathing since 1984.  You can go ahead and research it yourself, there is quite a bit of information online.  I will tell you though that I've been following Kirsten Dirksen's vLog for quite a while and everything that I've seen from her is pretty good information.  Forest Bathing is also something that I heard of some time ago have have been reading up on whenever I see anything about it pop up on my radar.

I believe that THIS is the first article I ever saw on it.

I do have some personal experience as I've been trying to get out at least once a day (the goal is twice a day) and go for a walk just because I find that the little man and I cope better with our current environment that way.  They usually only last about 1/2 an hour (might be longer but add the possibility of two old dogs and a 3 year old and....well...that's about it) but, after listening to this video I may not stress about how far and fast we go.  Apparently, it's more about the breathing and the being in the woods.  They say that it makes a difference where you walk, the forest is the best (once a month for two hours), in a park in the city is the next best thing (to achieve the same effect you need to go daily though) and just going for a walk around the city or "being a tourist in your hometown" doesn't really do anything, of course it is beneficial but, not as much as being surrounded by trees.  I am lucky enough to be close to a number of forest trails and lakes where I live so, I'm hoping that even if I can't make the 2 hour commitment once a month I can do it at least half an hour a week and usually more and maybe that will be sufficient.

off to the side of one of the trails I take regularly

This video is just under 20 minutes.  Learn the technique and go do it.  Do yourself the favour.  I know that I'm going to!!  At the end he says take a long slow 5 km walk (which is what I end up doing with a kid that likes to dig and climb and go off road) and take the whole day to do it.  He actually suggests taking a book to read while you are walking to help pass the time.  I think that I'll plan on this in the near future and let you know how it goes.  My Little Dragon loves to go on picnics!  So, we just might make it a regular thing....I probably won't do the reading and walking thing with him in tow though, that just sounds like a recipe for disaster to me!


Shinrin Yoku - a video by Kirsten Dirksen


Forest Medicine (Public Health in the 21st Century) by Qing Li (this is an affiliate link that will take you to Amazon.ca to purchase this book)

PS: if you're a fan of living in such a way that you are cooperating with nature or alternative style housing this is definitely a video log that you should look into following.  Personally, I like to watch and dream!  ...I call it gathering ideas!

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