In Move Your DNA, Katy Bowman tells us:
“Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing,’ is the process of making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest. Heavily researched in Japan, forest-bathing has been shown to promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate and blood pressure, and a reduction of ‘technostress,’ as measured by a reduction in cerebral activity. While anyone who has spent a few hours wandering out in nature can tell you that yes, it’s very relaxing, it is through scientific investigations that the mechanism behind our physiological response to the trees is better understood. We aren’t responding to the trees per se, but rather undergoing an invisible interaction with phytoncides—active chemical substances given off by plants. The tree, secreting these substances to ward off harmful bugs and rot, is also providing us with a compound that does our body good.”
Do you like walking in nature? Now, we have an excellent reason for why it is so restorative. We undergo an invisible interaction with phytoncides that do our body good. If you get a chance today or every day, get out and take a walk in nature to reduce cortisol, pulse rate, blood pressure, and technostress.
