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af Afrikaanssq Albanianam Amharicar Arabichy Armenianaz Azerbaijanieu Basquebe Belarusianbn Bengalibs Bosnianbg Bulgarianca Catalanceb Cebuanony Chichewazh-CN Chinese (Simplified)zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)co Corsicanhr Croatiancs Czechda Danishnl Dutchen Englisheo Esperantoet Estoniantl Filipinofi Finnishfr Frenchfy Frisiangl Galicianka Georgiande Germanel Greekgu Gujaratiht Haitian Creoleha Hausahaw Hawaiianiw Hebrewhi Hindihmn Hmonghu Hungarianis Icelandicig Igboid Indonesianga Irishit Italianja Japanesejw Javanesekn Kannadakk Kazakhkm Khmerko Koreanku Kurdish (Kurmanji)ky Kyrgyzlo Laola Latinlv Latvianlt Lithuanianlb Luxembourgishmk Macedonianmg Malagasyms Malayml Malayalammt Maltesemi Maorimr Marathimn Mongolianmy Myanmar (Burmese)ne Nepalino Norwegianps Pashtofa Persianpl Polishpt Portuguesepa Punjabiro Romanianru Russiansm Samoangd Scottish Gaelicsr Serbianst Sesothosn Shonasd Sindhisi Sinhalask Slovaksl Slovenianso Somalies Spanishsu Sudanesesw Swahilisv Swedishtg Tajikta Tamilte Teluguth Thaitr Turkishuk Ukrainianur Urduuz Uzbekvi Vietnamesecy Welshxh Xhosayi Yiddishyo Yorubazu Zulu

Forest Bathing

A relaxation technique of being calm and quiet, surrounded by trees.

Introduction

Family life can often feel incredibly busy as we rush from one thing to the next – so how can we find moments of calm and return to a state of balance?

 

Forest bathing is a relaxation technique of being calm and quiet, surrounded by trees. It comes from Japan and is known there as 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘬𝘶.

 

Forest bathing is suitable for both children and adults to try. It supports mental health and wellbeing through mindfulness, giving ‘space’ in our lives when the hustle
and bustle of everyday life is put aside. It’s all about being in the moment and there’s no time limits or strict rules that you need to follow.

Top Tips

  • It is a good idea to start by switching off your mobile devices and letting your senses tell you about your surroundings: the dappled light though the treetop canopy, the sounds of leaves rustling, the sway of branches in the wind, the movements of unseen animals and the smell of the forest floor.
  • Move slowly or sit down somewhere safe with your little ones – perhaps leaning against the trunk of a tree and together take in everything around you. Notice the big things and then as you start to relax take time to see the smaller things too, the little details that would have been unseen as you rushed by.
  • Allow your gaze to wander from the canopy to the ground and from further away to nearby where you are sat. Research has shown that it works best if you keep your eyes open so that you can see the colours of nature, as blues and greens relax us and connect us to our outdoor selves.
  • It may be that you only stay a few minutes at first but remember there’s no rush, just enjoy the moment in the way that works best for you and your little ones and as long as you are comfortable and safe to do so.

The Woodland Trust

The Woodland Trust has useful information on their website to help you to find woodlands and forests near to where you live.

The Woodlands Trust Website
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