Time In The Forest – The Healing Art of Shinrin Yoku

Coming Soon!!

The down payment has been made and I am REGISTERED!! The stars are aligning. My subtle body is lighting up with trust in the process of this being the next step and serving people in a deep, meaningful way. Our country has been under an epidemic of not being in nature and there is so much current unrest in the world that can be soothed in doing so. The opportunity that is unfolding in front of me to bridge the connection to have humans experience the healing powers of the forest is happening and I am super stoked.

Tuning Into Support

Support is all around us. Since day #1 of being on the farm, in the midst of any negative thoughts, interactions, or upcoming worries, the energy of being amongst the trees has been getting deeply embedded in my system. Support is here. It is all around. And you are calm and cared for just where you are and just as you are. Recognizing the nature inside of you connecting to your immediate surroundings outside of you has been one of the fastest ways to grounding.

One of the spokes on the wheel of Vital Health is Connection to Nature and I’m sure it is no surprise that the US society has been deficient in connecting with nature and all of the healing powers that nature has to offer (and vice versa).

The Healing Art of Shinrin Yoku

Shinrin Yoku is the Japanese art of “Forest Bathing” where you experience the forest through all of your five senses. Going on just one of these walks will change your perspective to walking in the forest each and every time thereafter. Shinrin-yoku is now an integral part of preventative health care in Japan and South Korea. Qing Li, a medical doctor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo and wone of the world’s experts in forest medicine and immunology, was able to prove that forest bathing stimulates the activity of natural killer cells and anticancer proteins, thus strengthening the immune system.

Yasei Shinrin-Yoku means “Wild Forest Bathing” and considers the expansion of our health, purpose and well-being as being directly related to the work that we do for the benefit of the forest. This natural energy can be achieved and benefited for both the individual and the natural world. My training program will consist of wilderness therapies, nutri-ecopsychology, aspects of building meaning and purpose, and more.  

It makes sense to me that experiencing nature can help combat depression and anxiety. Then there are also the physiological parameters that are under the influence of the autonomic nervous system which all improve in nature – heart, blood pressure, heart rate, tension, fatigue. Nervine herbs act to support the nervous system by calming the mind and addressing our mood. You can also consider nature in general as a top tier nervine.

Read It

Most books focused on holism in a more general sense vs. more specific avenues will mention Shinrin-Yoku and the importance of connection to nature to our entire being. The Chapter on Connection in the Autoimmune Wellness Handbook expresses the following research:

Even short exposures to nature can provide the following health benefits:

• Increased physical activity
• Lower levels of depression
• Increased sleep quality
• Regulated immune function
• Improved mood and emotional health
• Lowered cortisol and other stress hormones
• Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
• Increased parasympathetic activity (associated with relaxation and less stress)
• Lowered sympathetic activity (associated with stress states)
• Better recovery from stress

BOOST OF CREATIVE ENERGY

Happy New Moon in Leo, phriends! With this boost moving forward while honoring the past, I am really looking forward to integrating this therapy to my offerings and bringing them to the world. The certification is coming soon, please stay tuned!!

Cheers to Y O U, and do what you L O V E today

External Links & Resources:

• Michalsen, MD, PhD Andreas. The Nature Cure: A Doctor’s Guide to the Science of Natural Medicine. Viking 2017.
• Trescott, NTP, Mickey and Alt, NTC, CHC, Angie. The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook: A DIY Guide to Living Well with Chronic Illness. Rodale 2016.
• Wildcraft Forest School: http://www.wildcraftforest.com/School/Camps/4-YaseiShinrinYokuPractitionersTraining.html