Shinrin-Yoku: Embracing Nature's Meditative Healing

A self proclaimed tree-hugger, I could go on and on about the healing that can come from a day in the great outdoors, breathing in the fresh air, surrounded by unspeakable beauty, and far removed from the chaos. After a long (arduous, but rewarding) hike on the Inca Trail I learned just how intense of a connection you can make with the world around you if you just stop and give yourself the time to take it all in. Undeniable is the powerful force that is nature.

The Japanese surely agree with that sentiment, and they've even gone so far as to research the physical and mental human reaction to time spent in the woods, among the trees. Shinrin-yoku, as they refer to it, is the Japanese art that we can all benefit from. Developed in the 1980's in Japan this form of meditative healing has been, according to the LA Times, “endorsed by the Forest Agency of Japan as a means of improving quality of life.”

Although maybe a bit strange to think that I could benefit from the advice, upon reading it, I started to realize perhaps there was something to it, to be more like a tree. I remember writing it down in my journal, thinking it was so