As a long time nature enthusiast, I love to hike and get out in nature – anywhere from parks and forests to the beach. Some of my favourite hikes such as Noosa National Park near when I live, include both the magic of the ocean and the coastal forests. There is nothing like getting in the ocean or another natural body of water after a big hike. Living on the Sunshine Coast allows me many opportunities to explore the myriad unique spots of natural beauty that are a stones throw from my home. I also get away further afield where possible to experience different places and landscapes. Some of my favourite hiking trips (see below pic) have been to Three Capes in Tasmania, the Warrumbungles in NSW and Lamington National Park in Queensland.
I do think it rather intriguing how popular the Japanese term “forest bathing” has become. It is a curious and distinctly modern idea, this need to visit green spaces as a form of therapy. Clearly humans have always lived amongst the natural world and the green zones of life are what have sustained us for millennia. Now in our modern lives we have to be reminded to go outside and actively work on getting more time in nature to receive the many benefits it brings to our body, mind and soul.
So yesterday I took myself off to the mountains to take a forest walk and swim in the streams and waterfalls of Mapleton National Park. This is an area I love to visit yet I do not get up there as often as I would like to. I woke up craving some solitude after a busy week and found myself with a morning with nothing much planned. I love those kind of weekend days where you can be spontaneous and let the day unfold. I considered my options of doing housework, washing, bookkeeping or weeding the garden. Which while the last option was obviously still hanging out in nature it wasn’t really as conducive to the need for deeper contemplation.
Despite living in a lush rural hinterland setting, I still love to get out into more wild places in nature. I appreciate the walking meditation aspects that are offered by a good hike in the forest. I love how when we are in the forest little things happen in the psyche and the spirit that we rarely get to experience through our normal everyday interactions in the world that we inhabit. It can be hard to put a finger on what these things exactly are and what they transmit and evoke in us. An expansion of the senses occurs, with our eyes taking in natural beauty and dappled sunlight and our ears receiving soothing nature sounds of birds, wind in the leaves, and moving waterways. Even the word ‘forest’ conjures up within me an array of positive feelings and thoughts and I can almost anticipate a sense of calm, nourishment and respite. I also feel uplifted with a little wave of excitement washing through me at the mere thought of what unknown adventure might be had from walking in a forest.
Research Reveals Many Health Benefits
We also take in so many smells and fragrances when we are wandering in nature. I recently discovered the word, phytoncide, which refers to a bunch of chemical compounds that are released by certain types of forest trees that offer benefits for our immune system. As a medical herbalist and clinical nutritionist I am well aware of the many diverse plant compounds found in plants and foods that positively influence our health when ingested. So I was pleased to learn about phytoncides and how these invisible airborne molecules that trees emit contain antibacterial and antifungal qualities which help plants fight disease and how we naturally breathe them in and absorb their medicinal goodness. When we breathe in these chemicals, our bodies respond by increasing the number and activity of white blood cells. One study found increased blood cells activity from a three day/two night forest bathing trip lasted for more than 30 days afterwards.[i] Other benefits of phytoncides include lower stress hormones, better sleep and reduced blood sugar and inflammation.
It is great to think about how we can just absorb phytoncides through breathing and via our skin without the need to ingest these medicinal agents. Some tree essential oils such as pine and cedar also contain phytoncides, so this might be a good way of mimicking some of the magic that happens in the forest for those who are unable to experience it in person. Most of us are breathing in way too many pollutants from urban environments and modern life, so getting pure and highly oxygenated forest air with the added bonus of active immune compounds is perhaps one of the simplest medicines we can give our body. We also know how much our microbiome is diversified by getting down amongst the soil and plants in wild places and getting exposed to other hidden beneficial bacteria and fungal agents. See my substack article, Why I Eat Dirt, for more on that.
On top of the phytoncides research, there has been a plethora of other research over the past decade to find out what actually does happen physiologically when you are in a forest or natural environment. Findings on forest therapy include benefits on blood pressure, stress hormones, immunity and mood.[ii] Children with ADHD have improved concentration and focus after spending time outdoors in nature[iii]. Other findings suggest that low exposure to green spaces during early childhood, may even be associated with a higher risk of developing ADHD in the first place.[iv]
I recently found some research that looks at a forest healing programme for depression.[v] Forest healing is recommended as a form of low-cost preventive medicine that is completely safe and has no side effects[vi]. The forest healing program combines various activities such as exercise, walking, breathing, and play activities to maximise the healing effect of the forest. The researchers noted that when exposed to forest environments, people unconsciously feel free, relaxed and comfortable, and their mindset shifts with many report they feel boosted and energised.
We can also see real benefits just from the intensity of exposure to the colour green in a forest. The field of colour psychology demonstrates how different colours affect our mood, behaviour and our overall wellbeing. Research reveals that green is the colour that the brain finds most relaxing and exposure to green spaces, whether in the form of lush forests or urban parks, can have a profound calming effect on our minds and is associated with reduced stress levels, improved mood, and increased relaxation.[vii] In addition, the colour green was shown to enhance cognitive function, creativity, and overall psychological wellbeing.
Even looking at a beautiful picture of nature, such as the stunning rainforest above, has been found to have beneficial effects on hospital patients, on metrics such as anxiety/depression, pain and patient satisfaction. [viii] Greater beneficial effects are seen with greater durations of exposure to nature and greater degrees of immersion into nature. It was even suggested that multi-sensory experiences using technology like virtual reality can have major impacts and offer benefits to people who cannot access natural environments. That is one good use of artificial intelligence and technology, if you ask me! Nature connection advocate and writer Richard Louv got it right when he said “The future will belong to the nature-smart, those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”
Hiking As Pilgrimage
A day hike in nature also offers a mini version of pilgrimage, which could be defined as a journey or intentional walk in a natural landscape with an intention to meet an aspect of ourselves or serve a higher purpose. Historically pilgrimages were usually some kind of spiritual journey undertaken in order to meet or serve God. They were often carried out over well-worn tracks and took people to places that were deemed sacred or holy. Pilgrimages are still very popular in many countries amongst religious people who embark on these sacred journeys as a sort of sacrifice and as a way of connecting and honouring their chosen deity. We have seen an explosion of interest in modern day pilgrimages, with many people using traditional routes such as the Camino de Santiago in Europe, for spiritual and personal growth without the overt religious directive. On a pilgrimage we are deliberately removing ourselves from normal life and putting ourselves through some kind of physical challenge and as such we have to endure a little hardship or discomfort. All of which helps us to strengthen our will, tune in to what is real or important and find our inner voice and truth.
Any kind of nature walk, both short or long can be used as a mini-pilgrimage to connect more deeply to ourselves. These walks invite us to step out of our everyday life, let go of the need to be productive or efficient and maybe also for a short time sacrifice our attachment to digital devices.
Side note: I am always a little torn when I spend time in nature because I generally don’t take my phone as I want to have a break, but I also love to capture nature’s beauty with my phone camera so I am often regretting not having it. But as my 18 year old son and I were discussing the other day, that we need to use our “brain camera” and make “mind memories” more often instead of phone photos. I do wonder if our brains are getting lazier as we no longer have to use our memory as much to record events when daily life is so heavily documented by digital pictures we can refer to.
So on a forest hike I am inviting a spaciousness into my being. When our senses come to life we can more appreciate the natural beauty of life and even experience that magical feeling of awe and wonder. Walking in a natural wilderness area is the ultimate mindfulness activity where we can just be with ourselves, we can be one with nature and drop into the present moment. It is very nourishing for the soul in our busy modern life to create some space to dream and think beyond the normal realms of our busy cluttered minds. With a clear and calm mind we can more easily access insights, creativity and inspiration.
I have shared some of the many good things that happen to our body in the forest. We have seen the benefits from exposure to the soothing colour green, the high oxygenation rates in the forest from the abundance of plants and the microbiome impacts of being exposed to a biodiverse landscape. We have also discovered the immune benefits that last for over 30 days after a weekend away in the forest. Knowing this, maybe a goal of a once a month forest hike is something we should all try to do. But aside from all these body benefits, perhaps the thing that we most need from time spent in the forest is the gentle connection to our souls, the expansiveness of our minds and the calming of the spirit. While these are a little harder to quantify with research, they are the things that tend to fall by the wayside in modern life but they are the very things I believe we all deeply need for true health and wellbeing.
References
[i] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793341/
[ii] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1618866720304039
[iii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4491800/
[iv] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7755168/
[v] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10606414/
[vi] https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1289
[vii] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494422000548
[viii] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/19375867231221559
Happy travel 🍺