Forest bathing: What it is and why some Alberta doctors recommend it

Many people are familiar with the benefits of being in nature, but forest therapy goes a step further than a simple walk in the woods.

The practice of "forest bathing" originated in Japan in the 1980s when the country began shifting from a pastoral culture to a technological one.

It is described as the process of therapeutic relaxation that immerses people in their natural environment and encourages them to engage their senses to connect with nature.

"They coined the term 'shinrin-yoku,' which means to bath in the atmosphere of the forest through your senses," said Ronna Schneberger, the owner of Forest Fix in Canmore, and a forest-bathing trainer for the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.

Schneberger says there are many health benefits to forest bathing, some of which have been backed up by studies, including the benefits of inhaling aromatic compounds released from plants called phytoncides.

"When we spend time in nature, it can help you reduce your cortisol levels, which is your stress hormone. It can help balance your blood pressure, bring your heart rate down. It can reset your nervous system," she said.

"Our body, our mind, our spirit, kind of recalibrates back to our natural state of being, which is peace and equanimity."

CTV News joined Schneberger as she guided a small group through the practice in the forest in Canmore.

Participants were invited to tune into their senses in different ways, such as laying or sitting still and observing what's moving in the forest or listening to the sounds of birds and wind.

"Just to clear away the road dust, people are racing to relax. It just helps them land in their bodies," she said.

"It really helps switch people from a stress state to a calm state."

- Forest bathing is a practice or process of therapeutic relaxation where one spends time in a forest or natural atmosphere. Simmi Latulippe participated in the practice, and says forest bathing helped her reset and reconnect to the land.

"Just being quiet, being able to be a little more mindful when we’re walking, to be a little more mindful when we’re listening and seeing.

"It’s that place where you give gratitude with the land. We’re you feel at peace."

She understands people may be skeptical, but says she is confident one forest bath would change that.

"You have to try it. If you try it, you’ll be changed. If you try it you’ll have an 'ah ha' moment."

Schneberger has been doing guided tours for years, but says the practice is growing in popularity, especially post-pandemic when doctors are prescribing time outdoors to clients.

"During COVID, we could all see that need of just getting outside. We all know spending time in nature is good for us. This particular flavour, if you would, of getting into nature and being guided… it offers a little more than doing it on your own, because as a guide, I’ve taken you through a process maybe you’ve been through, maybe you haven’t."

Dr. Susan Lea-Makenny is an integrated family physician in Calgary, and says she recommends forest bathing to her clients.

"Many of my patients tell me they like nature and go out into it often, but I tell them, 'This is a little different, this is a little more,'" she said.

"One of the things that has certainty been important to me as a physician and recommending it to patients, is there is really good science, really good evidence, of its therapeutic benefits."

Schneberger has accommodated a range of clients from individual people in Alberta, to burnt-out CEOS and corporate groups from as far as the United Kingdom.

"It helps restore people, so that when they show up together, they show up grounded and calm and not stressed out," she said.

"I’ve had groups hire me to do this before a longer leadership program, and it helps coagulate the team, and then when they go into challenging conversations. It works like a charm because they are relaxed."

Morgan Craig-Broadwith, a human resource leader in Calgary and the chief wellness officer and owner of Live Active, says she recommends forest bathing for both employees and employers.

"I do see great value (in it) for everyone, particularly in the workplace where the intensity has increased," she said.

"When you actually give space and time and protect yourself from all of that distraction and stimulation, it’s amazing what can happen.

"I think giving space for that in workspaces gives time for creativity and tie for creativity and rest comes new ideas and innovations and insights."

Schneberger says there is a benefit from being guided through the practice, but says people can learn to do it themselves, even in their own backyard.

"It seems really simple and it is, but it works," she said.

"I honestly think this is the low hanging fruit of mental health, this is the easiest thing you can do."

To find a guide in your area you can visit The Association of Nature and Forest Therapy of Canada.