Home — World self-care & traditional therapies — Mind

Forest bathing (shinrin-yoku)

A listing is not a recommendation.

Origin: Japan · Tradition: A nature-based practice proposed in Japan in the 1980s · Mind

What it is

A practice of walking in a forest and immersing the senses — seeing, hearing, smelling, touching. It is aimed at lowering stress and supporting recovery, rather than as a medical treatment.

A short introduction (not a treatment instruction)

Choose a safe walking path. Speed and distance are not the aim.
For about 20 minutes to 2 hours, stop along the way and use the senses.
Do not go alone into difficult mountains. Match the weather and your health conditions.

Symptoms or aims often mentioned with this practice

Stress or unease
Tiredness
Blood pressure (general mention)
Focus and thinking
Sleeplessness

Research notes (this is not a promise of effect)

C: Preliminary, small, or lower-quality studies, or mixed results. These notes should not be over-read

Systematic and scoping reviews have reported changes in blood pressure, heart rate, mood, and stress measures. Study quality and control conditions have limits, and evidence for long-term effects or for treating disease is still weak.

Sources

Safety notes

Watch for getting lost, allergies (pollen, bees), ticks, heat illness, and cardiovascular events.

If you are unsure, or if you have a health condition, are pregnant, or take medicine, consult a qualified professional.

Situations in which this is better avoided

Unstable heart disease with a physician’s limit on activity
When a severe hay-fever or anaphylaxis risk cannot be managed