On a sultry Georgia morning, I found myself strolling along a quiet forest trail. A variety of mature trees provided relief from the bright sun. The abundant greenery was highlighted by dappled shade. The air was fresh, clear and rich with earthy aromas. Birds and insects provided background music. This beautiful place was the River Trail Certified Forest Therapy Trail at Hundred Acre Farm in Madison Georgia. This is the second local destination I’ve found for what I’ve come to call “safe excursions”. There was little need to worry about face masks and social/physical distancing along this secluded trail.
The River Trail is a short walk designed to be taken slowly. It’s not a hike—more of a stroll or an amble. The folks at the Hundred Acre Farm provide a small brochure containing guided activities or “invitations” to dawdle. As the guide brochure explains it: “Forest Therapy is a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments. In Japan it is called “shinrin yoku,” which translates to “forest bathing.” Studies have demonstrated a wide array of health benefits, especially in the cardiovascular and immune systems, and for stabilizing and improving mood and cognition.”
I’ve been intrigued by forest bathing for some time. In her 2017 book, The Nature Fix Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative, author Florence Williams describes her experience with guided shinrin-yoku in Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park in Japan. She explains “The idea with shinrin yoku, … based on ancient Shinto and Buddhist practices, is to let nature into your body through all five senses…”. The first invitation in the River Trail guide brochure starts by asking “Stand still for a moment – what are you noticing? Hearing? Smelling? Seeing?” A convenient bench, positioned at Sign 1, invites you to linger and ask yourself those same questions while seated.
The guide brochure also invites you to “Walk slowly. Look for tiny things – flowers, leaves, pebbles – whatever is tiny.” Of course, the shutterbug in me is always looking for tiny things! Here are a few of the beautiful small things I captured along the River Trail.
At one point, the trail turns to the right and a split-rail fence protects you from a rather steep bank with a pretty, little stream running below.
The guide brochure encourages you to “Allow your eyes to wander over the landscape along and beside the trail. Notice what is drawing your eye.” A fallen tree covered in fungi caught my eye. I consulted iNaturalist, after the fact, and discovered this is False Turkey-Tail (Stereum ostrea). It’s surprisingly photogenic!
This fungi, on the same tree, is Crowded Parchment (Stereum complicatum).
The trail continues down to a wetland meadow which you can cross to see the Apalachee River at Lake Oconee. Then it circles back around and returns to the trailhead. The 8 invitations in the guide brochure were crafted by a ANFT-certified forest therapy guide. The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs (ANFT) is, according to their website, “the most experienced global leader in guide training, and promoting the development and practice of Forest Therapy”. Their mission is “Nurture heart-centered relationships between all peoples and the More-Than-Human world of nature.” The River Trail is the first certified Forest Therapy Trail in the United States.
One of the 3 major strands supporting the ANFT approach to forest therapy is Japanese Shinrin-yoku. This brings me full circle to the practice of forest bathing developed in Japan and mentioned by Florence Williams in her book.
To understand the science behind forest bathing, Williams consulted several experts starting with Yoshifumi Miyazaki. Miyazaki is an expert on the topic having researched, taught and written about the subject for over 30 years. He is a Research Fellow and Grand Fellow, at Chiba University’s Centre for Environment, Health, and Field Sciences in Japan. In fact, Miyazaki coined the term “Forest Therapy” in 2003, when as he reports it, Americans found the Japanese term “shinrin-yoku” too difficult to pronounce.
His research has shown many health benefits result from a deeper connection with nature and spending time surrounded by trees. These benefits include reduced stress, lower blood pressure, improved mood, and increased focus and energy.
Miyazaki calls out that humans evolved in nature and have spent 99.99% of the last 5 million years in nature compared to the mere 0.01% of time, since the Industrial Revolution, when humans started spending their time in the urban world. He maintains the human brain and body, which are made for nature, are being overworked by urbanization. His straightforward premise is that humans need the calming effect of nature to return them to a normal state. His research findings certainly support this hypothesis.
I can’t honestly claim to have realized all the benefits—reduced stress, lower blood pressure, improved mood, and increased focus and energy—from my stroll along the River Trail but it was deeply enjoyable. And whether you call it Shinrin-yoku, Forest Bathing, Forest Therapy or Deliberate Dawdling, I’m definitely looking forward to doing it again!
More Info
Many thanks to the folks at the Farmhouse Inn at Hundred Acre Farm in Madison, Georgia! You can learn more about this peaceful country retreat on the Farmhouse Inn website. Information about the River Trail can be found under Forest Therapy.
Check out the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs on their website.
I also mentioned Florence Williams book, The Nature Fix Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative, in my previous post My Top 3 Nonfiction Reads from 2018.
You can learn more about Yoshifumi Miyazaki and the Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences at Chiba University, Japan on their website. I enjoyed Miyazaki’s 2012 TEDxTokyo talk on Nature Therapy. His book, Shinrin Yoku The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing, is available on Amazon.
iNaturalist came through for me again. I couldn’t have identified the fungi without their help. Their web-based observation and identification tools, along with their mobile app, are excellent for identifying plants and wildlife. Check out my previous post Seek to Identify Wildlife with this Fun App. To learn more, access the iNaturalist website.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Consider the potential health benefits of strengthening your connection with nature.
2. Engage all your senses to get the most of your time in the forest.
3. Forest therapy calls for you to walk slowly, observe and savor.
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