FOREST BATHING, VELUWE & ZEEWOLDE, NETHERLANDS
Additional Information
Duration: 10am -3pm
Dates: 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th Dec 2021
Group size: 4
Ages: 16+
Cost: 45 euros pp
This package includes travel should you wish and a packed lunch tailored to your dietary needs
Welcome to the delicious world of Forest bathing.
‘So what actually is it and do I need swimwear?’ I hear you asking. Well the term emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). It’s aim was to directly counteract the increasing levels of stress and stress-related diseases that were blossoming in Japan. As researchers linked city life-styles, heavy workloads and ‘technostress’ (relentless exposure to digital devices) to the rising cases of tech-boom burnout, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, forestry and fisheries decided to use their extensive woodlands as a preventive medicine.
The Japanese quickly embraced this form of ecotherapy and in the 1990s, researchers began studying the physiological benefits of forest bathing, providing the science to support what we all innately know, that time spent immersed in nature is good for us.
Since then irrefutable science has emerged proving the benefits of nature interaction. For most of our daily lives we should exist in a ‘rest and digest’ or parasympathetic nervous state, with normal heart-rates and digestive processes and the body able to repair itself. Stress causes us to enter ‘fight or flight’ mode, through the initiation of the sympathetic nervous system. Hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol flood the body, increasing the heart-rate and reducing the activity of bodily functions unnecessary for the immediate escape from danger (great if you need to run away from a tiger). Returning to the ‘‘rest and digest’ state after danger (back to the safety of the village), is essential for physical and mental wellbeing.
In Europe today however, mild stressors can trigger the ‘fight or flight’ state repeatedly throughout the day. For many of us, walking through crowds, running late for meetings and the constant ringing and pinging of our phone stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and prevent our bodies from returning to a relaxed state between each stressor. This can affect our quality of life and potentially lead to stress-related diseases, including burn-out, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, cancer and mental-health illnesses.
Results suggest that Forest Bathing generally reduces the activity of the sympathetic (flight and fight) system and the occurrence of negative emotions. Meanwhile, the parasympathetic (rest and digest) system gains ascendency, the subjects usually relax and feel happier.
Trees, plants and fungi flood the forest air with defence chemicals that protect them against bacterial and pathogenic fungi infestation. As we spend time in woodlands we breathe these chemicals in and they help cleanse our bodies. Special chemicals called phytoncides released by pine trees have actually been found to kill human cancer cells and increase our production of NK cells (‘natural killer’ white blood important in the body’s fight against cancer and virus cells).
During our sessions we will visit remote forest areas with the main focus being on relaxation. Activities, such as brief bird language and forest ecology talks, aim to help you open up your senses and benefit from immersion into the woodland environment. After a peaceful lunch by the fireside we will wander into the forest and you will be placed at specific forest sit spots or in forest hammocks.
After 30 mis or so nature starts to forget you’re there or rather accepts your presence and amazing details will begin to find their way into your experience. Sit spots can last from 30 mins to 3 hours depending on your comfort level. I once sat in a Romanian sit spot for 30 hours and it proved to be one of the best experiences of my life. The longer you invest the more you get out.
Alongside the short activities key amplifiers of experience that we teach are breathing techniques and whilst in sit spots no access to mobile phones or technology is permitted. The idea is to start to tune in to a different rhythm, one that enable you to leave the cities stress behind.
Please contact europeanwalkingsafari@gmail.com for more details and bookings