Trends, Nature, Culture, and Wellness: Meet Forest Bathing
May 27th, 2025
Baths aren’t all about getting clean.
Bathing, in anything, is about immersion. It’s daring to be so engulfed in an environment or activity that it’s as if you are drenched, literally or metaphorically, in your state of being. Bathing requires mental and physical presence in the moment. Baths are places of relaxation and cleanliness, and again, this is regarded both literally and metaphorically.
You might take a hot bath, complete with salts and bubbles, your drink of choice, candles, and a book after a long day. This bath isn’t about making yourself squeaky clean, but more about washing the hardships and tension of the day away.
You might go to a spa or yoga retreat and receive a sound bath, where different frequencies of “pure” sound ring out around you to help your body and mind vibrate in harmony – no soap and water required.
You might sunbathe while you’re on vacation, allowing your body and mind to take a day off as you release yourself from the capitalist obligations of productivity and soak up a few precious minutes of sunshine on your skin (don’t forget the SPF!).
The Power and Symbolism of Transformation
Several religions and cultures understand the power and significance of bathing so well that entire rituals and ceremonies are built on the concept. Baptism, for example, is a ceremonial bath of spiritual cleansing where the individual’s sins are washed away by blessing. In Judaism, the Mikveh is a ritual bath of living water (like spring water) used for purification during certain transitions in life, including conversion to Judaism.
When we bathe, we take the time to acknowledge the parts of our lives that wear on us, and we turn the act of getting clean into an act of self love, compassion, and transformation. It’s not about getting clean. We bathe to come out different than we were when we entered the bath.
What is Forest Bathing?
“Shinrin-yoku,” or “forest bathing,” stems from Japanese tradition. It’s the practice of immersing yourself in nature, and no, it’s not an actual bath. Our western minds tend to be very literal in our understanding of certain concepts (baths included), but eastern mindsets are more metaphorical in their understanding of the world. This bath is an opportunity to allow your mind to rest.
The recipe for a forest bath is simple: you + nature = forest bath.
But, there’s a slight catch…
Leave the technology at home. In order to engage in this practice, you need to be completely mentally present. Wear a good old fashioned watch, if you’re worried about time, but this is best done when you can leave the phone, the smart watch, the pager (if you still use one), and all other distractions at home.
Forest bathing is about taking the time to connect with our environment as a means of grounding ourselves in every way. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, this practice is a form of conscious meditation in harmony with your surroundings.
How Do I Forest Bathe?
We love the idea of forest bathing so much because it’s a wonderfully accessible way to engage with your inner and outer world simultaneously. It doesn’t cost money, and you don’t need any special equipment. In fact, the less you bring with you, the better!
Set Your Intention
Do you have something on your mind? What’s bothering you? Is there a topic you want to reflect on, or do you want to actively pursue letting your mind wander? Are you aiming to relax and let go?
Consider your timing and setting as well. Take a few minutes to think or journal before you go into your bath and set your intent for your time.
Go Into Nature
Of course, make sure you always observe the local rules and regulations of public land (including posted operating hours and trail markings). Take nothing but memories, and leave only footprints.
Slow Down
Go for a stroll, climb a tree, stop and smell the flowers, sit in the grass, stretch, or go for a swim. Whatever activity calls to you, you’re here to connect with yourself and nature.
It’s a great time to get in touch with your senses. As you walk, what do you feel? You might even walk barefoot. Touch the trees, feel the moss on them. How does it smell? What can you hear if you’re really, truly still? How are you breathing, and what part of your chest are you breathing from? When you’re still, how does your body feel?
Where is your mind? Is it here, in the moment with you? Or is your to-do list still in the chat? If you’re able, give those thoughts permission to rest. They’ll still be there when you’re back from your bath.
That’s it! That’s the process. If you don’t have access to a forest, what nature surrounds you? If it’s desert, a field, or an ocean, use what nature surrounds you.
Forest Bathing is Not…
Forest bathing is not a race to hike a trail the fastest, or a challenge to walk the hardest path. Physical challenge and endurance isn’t the goal. While those things have their time and place, they’re not what’s at work here.
It’s not an instagram photo with a cute caption. Take this time to turn inward, reflect, and unplug. Forest bathing is making its way into the mainstream trend, but it goes back much further than the internet’s latest fixation.
It’s not a competition, with yourself or anyone. Competition is everywhere in our lives, but it has no place here.
Forest bathing has numerous mental and physical health benefits, but it’s not a cure-all for what ails you. If your mental health is truly struggling, please consult with a mental health professional. In the same way a walk won’t cure the flu, forest bathing and other mental wellness practices won’t cure depression, anxiety, or any other mental health condition. This practice may help manage those symptoms, but it is not a replacement for professional advice and treatment.
The Benefits of Forest Bathing
Science likes to argue about a lot of points, because if you look hard enough, you can find evidence for anything. That said, science generally agrees that time outside is really, really good for our minds and bodies. Here are some of the benefits forest bathing has to offer:
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Lower blood pressure
- Reduced stress
- Better sleep
- Lower reported levels of anxiety and depression
- Better mood
- Stronger immune system
- Increased creativity and problem solving skills
- Higher sense of self worth
If it costs nothing, you have nothing to lose. Give forest bathing a go, and tell us about your experiences! What parts of your life have improved? Share your story on social media or via email – we’d love to hear what’s going well in your neck of the woods!
Community Space
In an effort to make natural spaces even more accessible and prized in our community, The Magnolia Company is working on a project called The Magnolia Mile – read all about that here.
