Bathing In The Woods:

Discover Deceleration And Mindfulness With The Healing Power Of Nature

(Increase Health, Satisfaction And Well-Being Through The Healing Power Of Nature)

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In balance through the power of nature

Bathing in the woods: Healing from the forest

The secret life of the trees

The healing effect of forest air

This is how bathing in the woods becomes a pleasure

Power and Energy through Trees: Seeing

Power and Energy through Trees: Touching

Power and Energy through Trees: Smelling

Power and Energy through Trees: Tasting

Power and Energy through Trees: Hearing

Power and Energy through Trees: Forest Walks

Power and Energy through Trees: Breathing Exercises

Power and Energy through Trees: Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Power and Energy through Trees: Forest Training

A stay in the forest is always worthwhile

In balance through the power of nature

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, people in the 21st century spend up to 87% of their lives inside. Scientific studies prove that the contact with nature has considerable advantages for our health. It has been shown that time in nature can lead to stress reduction, increase in immune function and improvement of cognitive performance. A detour outside and away from busy life lowers blood pressure, slows heart rate and improves mood.

There is a place for relaxation and recuperation and a return to oneself: the forest. Those who only think of the atmosphere of a forest will probably instinctively feel how valuable it can be for us. The forest resembles a quiet counter-world to our busy everyday life. In him slumber healing powers that bring body, mind and soul back into harmony. Our way of life in the future is the newly awakened love for nature, for the forest and for ourselves. The forest as a spiritual refuge is the solution for everyday stress. It will give us health and vitality back and therefore we must preserve and protect it.

The attentive forest visitor will feel that he cannot escape the magic of the forest. There's hardly a better way to shut down and recharge your batteries. The natural atmosphere trains all senses, mindfulness and gives body and soul new vitality. Forest bathing means immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere by slowing down and paying attention to nature. The encounter with nature has a healing and balancing effect on our inner nature.

Peace and silence reign in the forest, which invites you to admire its living beauty with all your senses. By rediscovering the forest, we can rediscover ourselves and regain our lust for life, sharpen our senses and deepen our perception.

In Japan, the manifold effects of the forest were very early combined with medical and psychotherapeutic methods for treatment and prevention. Japanese doctors have long since declared the traditional forest walk to be a recognized method of stress management. The stress management by simple, easy walks in the forest was continued by Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing).

The aim of the forest bath is to deepen our connection with nature more consciously and attentively. During careful forest bathing we concentrate on our breathing, sharpen our senses and perceive our surroundings attentively. In this way we can further increase the forest effect.

When bathing in the forest you should not expect to get wet or swim in a body of water. It is rather the feeling of being undressed and enveloped by the forest like the water bathing. Being surrounded by nature is a form of meditation that gives you more peace and relaxation. In contrast to meditation, forest bathing can be learned equally for all age groups and with all physical abilities.

One of the main considerations in forest bathing is that modern life crushes our brain with an excess of noise and digital information. Our body reacts to this sensory overload with stress hormones such as cortisol, which have undesirable effects on our health. Chronically increased stress levels are associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, depression and obesity.

Recent scientific studies have confirmed what many have known for a long time: Those who connect with nature feel better and can think better. In Japan, studies have shown that visits to forests can lower cortisol levels, strengthen the immune system and lower heart rate and blood pressure, among other things.

Another characteristic of the forest bath in modern society is its slowness. Concentrate on the surroundings and still be attentive. The perfect antidote to the fast moving and restless everyday life. It calms our irritated nervous system as with deep breathing exercises.

In the meantime, guided tours for stressed city dwellers are also offered in Germany. In such a tour the participants get to know the effect of the forest on body, mind and soul. The forest guides look after overworked office workers who are completely alienated from nature and themselves. They receive an introduction to breathing and mindfulness exercises and they learn to cope with the stress of everyday life with an "aroma shower".

A guided introductory course is the ideal introduction to forest bathing, but not all of us live near a certified guide. Fortunately, you can enjoy many of the advantages of forest bathing on your own.

Bathing in the woods: Healing from the forest

Over 4000 million hectares of forest grow on earth. One third of Germany is covered with forest, making it one of the most densely wooded countries in Europe. Of the 1.6 million known animals, plants and fungi on earth, around two thirds live in forests. There is hardly any untouched nature in Germany, but the Federal Government's goal is to return 5% of the forest area to wilderness by 2020.

The forest works against depression, stress, burnout and strengthens our immune system. It can protect us from chronic diseases such as heart attacks by certain substances found in the forest air. It is not esotericism, but an evidence-based modern science. Already in one of the earliest studies it was stated that the mere sight of trees has a measurably positive effect on us. Patients who looked out of the hospital window into the countryside after an operation became healthy faster than those who only looked at a house wall. Those who had a look at the trees also needed less painkillers.

Another study found that the fewer trees there are in a residential area, the higher the risk of typical civilization diseases such as cardiovascular weakness, high blood pressure or diabetes. Living in the countryside also keeps you young: ten trees around a block of flats are already expected to increase life expectancy by up to seven years. Forest air contains 90 % less dust particles than urban air. Researchers also found that exercise in the forest improves mood and reduces stress.

The natural soft soil is healthy for our joints. We are surrounded by sensory impressions such as the wind, the chirping of birds and the sight of trees, which our revolutionary trained brain understands. This increases the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, a part of our nervous system that is responsible for recovery and regeneration down to the cellular level, while the opponent of the parasympathetic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system, is overexcited by the hectic city life, which is why we modern humans need this forest as a balance. If we spend a lot of time in the forest, we are also surrounded by bioactive substances that are good for our health.

The forest air contains ingredients from the group of the so-called terpenes. These are substances with which plants exchange messages with each other. Terpenic forest air is said to support the body's defences. Inhaling these terpenes has a very positive effect on our immune system. It increases the number and activity of our natural killer cells. These killer cells remove viruses from the body, but also dangerous cells such as cancer cells.

A dense forest offers the greatest health benefits, as the concentration of terpenes is highest. Conifers have one of the highest concentrations of terpenes. For this reason, coniferous forests are said to have an even stronger healing effect than deciduous forests.

A team from the Japanese Nippon Medical School in Tokyo conducted an experiment in a hotel where twelve test persons stayed overnight: A mixture of forest air was emitted in half of the rooms. The blood samples of exactly these participants showed a significantly higher number and activity of the body's own killer cells the next day.

When we leave the city, it is very important that we absorb as many of the forest's health-promoting substances as possible. It is important that we breathe intensively, i.e. not only sharpen our senses and perceive the stimuli of nature, but also inhale the substances of the forest air deeply into us.

The secret life of the trees

The forest is full of miracles, it is its own universe in which much remains hidden to us. Messages are exchanged day and night. The creatures of the forest use a language that even scientists are only gradually deciphering. For example, trees change their diameter and bioelectrical potential at night. They seem to react to the lunar cycle in a similar way to our oceans.

The wood of each tree has its own individual scent, which other creatures in the forest can perceive. The leaves of the trees produce not only food and oxygen, but also news, just like the moss on the forest floor. In addition, animal sounds seem to have an effect on the plants, they grow faster when the concert of birds and insects increases.

How do trees communicate with each other? Can they communicate with us?

Trees are fascinating creatures with a very rich social life. Some people believe that trees have a memory and feelings, that they live in a family, have friends and communicate with each other.

It's actually the case that trees can communicate through scents. As we express ourselves with sound waves, so trees communicate with scents. We now know that trees have over 100 different ways of expressing themselves with scents.

They have a huge spectrum of so-called plant vocabulary,