Frehsée, Nicole. “The New Nature Walk.” O, The Oprah Magazine June 2014: 92. Print.
In her article, Frehsée spotlights the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing” in English. The term refers to silent, sensory-focused walks through the woods, engaging with nature in the absence of electronics. Shinrin-yoku originated in the 1980s, but it’s gaining extensive popularity as its health benefits are being discovered. The practice has been proven to lower cortisol stress levels, decrease blood pressure and even fortify the body’s ability to fight cancer.
Disconnecting from cell phone usage is emphasized, and I think that’s essential here. As much as digitization has proven to help environmentalism, there still needs to be some distance to prevent information overload. I hope the evidence of trees’ health benefits will encourage more conservation efforts, even if it’s done with a self-serving purpose in mind.
