Forest bathing—basically just being in the presence of
trees—became part of a national public health program in Japan in 1982 when
the forestry ministry coined the phrase shinrin-yoku and promoted
topiary as therapy. Nature appreciation—picnicking en masse under the cherry
blossoms, for example—is a national pastime in Japan, so forest bathing quickly
took. The environment’s wisdom has long been evident to the culture: Japan’s
Zen masters asked: If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears,
does it make a sound?
To discover the answer, masters do nothing, and gain
illumination. Forest bathing works similarly: Just be with trees. No hiking, no
counting steps on a Fitbit. You can sit or meander, but the point is to relax
rather than accomplish anything.
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