Shinrin Yoku
CONTACT
Aneesha C. Mueller
tel: +49 2202 868 9626
mobile: +49 152 23474177
email: aneesha@naturemygoddess.com
For coaching | Relationship & couple advice: www.aneesha.org
Nature is my goddess, my prayer, my home. And it can be yours too. Join me in one of my upcoming workshops or retreats so that you too can start your own adventure and dive deep into the outer and your inner nature.
Forest bathing [Shinrin-Yoku]
What we call forest bathing probably originally came from China and is over 2500 years old. About 40 years ago it was rediscovered and popularized in Japan, known there as Shinrin Yoku. Shinrin Yoku means something like "immersion in the forest atmosphere".
On this page you will get tips on how you can use forest bathing for yourself. It is about the meditative stay in nature. It's about the simple BEING. The 'switching on' of all senses. It's about being aware of yourself and your surroundings. Meanwhile is scientific demonstrated that forest bathing increases both physical well-being and mental health. And that's reason enough to give it a try.
As you embark on this learning journey, you will find many interesting insights and experiences. We recommend that you keep a journal so that the effects go deeper. And when you find something of value, share it with others because that gives you the opportunity to be seen in the presence of the other in your truth, and that is healing and transforming.
On this page you will find some tips and hints that you can incorporate into your normal forest hikes. In the following we would like to give you a jump start on forest bathing. But you are also welcome to take part in the next guided forest bathing. I combine forest bathing and nature rituals. Click the button below to find out more. I look forward to maybe getting to know you soon.
meditation
Shinrin Yoku
Nature retreats
Key elements of forest bathing
The 5th Key elements of forest bathing are Quiet , slow walking, conscious 'opening' of our senses, safety and share . It's not about exercise or information gathering. The aim is to calm the voice in our heads and fill us with a sense of calm.
Senses : Focus your attention on the senses. We become aware of the present moment. Perceive all your senses. The aim is to divert our attention from unwanted thoughts.
Slow : go slowly. It's about finding awe, amazement and inspiration in nature. Go at your own pace. Slow down to notice what is happening inside and around you. As you spend more time in one place, you develop a deeper relationship with them.
Silence : Use the silence of the forest for the transition from thinking to feeling. The outer silence can support the inner silence. Learn to carry the forest within you. Even when we are not in nature, the calm and serenity of the forests can be a part of us and affect the people around us.
The other two values are " Security " and " Share ". Always take appropriate measures to ensure your safety in the forest. Take one Hiking map with. Watch out for the animals in the forest. If you are out in a group, take time at the end of an activity or after the walk to share what you have experienced with others. This should be free of judgment and unwanted advice.
👉5 Key: Quiet , slow walking, open Senses, safety & sharing
👉 Carry a diary with you for deeper experience in nature
👉Share what you have experienced with others for better Integration and healing
Forest meditations
Move in small groups and in silence. The idea is to talk less and listen more. Consciously experience nature around us.
During this hike you can do short tasks (forest meditations) that will strengthen your connection to your surroundings deepen.
Every forest, lake or mountain path, even the city park, can turn into a healing forest hike. You can walk slowly for 15 minutes and then Spend 20 minutes focusing on one of your senses - sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. When you find a place that speaks to you sit down, linger, watch and be amazed.
Here are some forest games:
Perceiving noises : Listen to the sounds of the forest. Count how many different sounds you can hear. Then perceive, can you also hear the silence?
Sight: Find a place where you can see a whole tree. Slowly draw the outline of a tree with your eyes, starting at one edge at the base of the trunk. Move your gaze upward and cover up all the details that define the tree line. If you find your thoughts wandering, keep bringing them back to sight of the tree.
Smell : Take a deep breath. Take in the scents of the forest. Every object in nature has a unique smell. Take your time and enjoy it.
Touch : Sit on a stone or tree trunk and feel your feet on the forest floor. Hold a piece of forest in the palms of your hands - a stone a leaf, a pine cone, a Blade of grass. Close your eyes and feel the touch in every detail.
Taste : Take fruit or tea with you. Eat the fruit slowly. As slowly as possible. Imagine that the sunlight that nourishes the plant becomes the fruit that becomes a part of you. Observe how everything is connected in nature.
Insight: Choose one of the following words: impermanence, interconnectedness, insignificance, impermanence, birth. Meditate about the meaning by observing the relationships in nature.
IMPORTANT : Shinrin-Yoku is best used for preventive health care, i.e. as a preventive measure, used. It strengthens your health, immunity and recovery and saves you time, money and energy. The concept has long proven its worth in countries like Japan and South Korea. However, it is not a substitute for doctors. People suffering from an acute illness should contact their doctor.
(The inspiration for the text comes from www.healingforest.org/walks/ ).
A guide to forest bathing in ten steps
1. Stroll: Slow and easy is the motto. There is no destination and it doesn't matter how long it takes you.
2. Rest: Everything can go very slowly and you can pause as often as you like. Take breaks. Let the soul follow.
3. Perceiving: Without pressure to perform, perceive what is going on in you and around you. Imagine you're a little kid, look with baby eyes. Enjoy the Colours, Shapes, smells and sounds of the forest. Lie down in the leaves, touch a bark, lean against a trunk, sit on a stone.
4. Try: Look with open, alert eyes. Discover Known new. Be curious. Take a close look at a blade of grass. Braid grass, collect stones, acorns or chestnuts, find a nice walking stick.
5. Gentle movement: balance over trunks, hop over stumps. If you can, practice tai chi or qigong - the body gets more oxygen.
6. Mindfulness: Be with your attention in the here and now, perceive your soles with every step. Feel your arms swing with you as you walk. What do you still perceive in the body? What do you perceive on the outside?
7. Eye relaxation: Look into the distance: Enjoy the green of the forest, relieve your monitor-tired eyes.
8. Watch your breath: Sit in a nice place and watch your breath, let it come and go.
9. Meditation : Meditation means to be completely with what you are doing. When you walk, concentrate on walking with all your senses, feel the ground under your feet, pay attention to your breathing and perceive everything as it is, without judgment.
10. Silence : Alone and to be without external influences, it is actually possible to become still inside with the help of the forest. Try it.
The gift of nature
Just being
Relaxation, breathing, feeling, without any distraction, just with yourself and with what is around you, and you can pause and collect yourself.
Gain clarity
The silence of nature helps you to gain clarity about what is important to you. The forest does not judge. You can become aware of what is correct and what is not.
Use the power of mindfulness
We use the power of mindfulness to arrive in the here and now with all of our senses. Practice being present and enjoying being simply.
Recognize your inner being
Learn how nature can support you to be in connection with yourself and to recognize, nourish and strengthen your inner being.
Cultivate the real you
Enjoy the judgment-free space of nature, in which you are supported and strengthened by us to connect with who you really are, in contrast to the roles that you play in society.
Allow change
Experience breakthroughs and positive changes where you were before felt stuck and stagnant.
Strengthen your inner connection
In our seminars you can learn to break through defensive layers, be vulnerable and honest with yourself and others to become, and thus strengthen the connection to yourself and others.
