Shinrin Yoku - Forest Bathing, Back to Nature Wellness in Spain
With anxiety and stress becoming almost
commonplace the 'new' fad of shinrin yoku, which translates as
‘forest bathing’ and not too different from tree hugging, is said
to calm the body and the mind. A calm mind then helps to lower blood
pressure and reduce stress hormones. I believe it, but not in the
'new therapy' boot camp type of wellness holidays that are springing
up. You don't need to book a cabin in the woods and have instructors. Do it Yourself.
Shinrin Yoku is originally from Japan and is just about going into woods. In the early 1990s it became part of the Japanese national health programme as they were so convinced of the healing properties of 'forest bathing.'
So head away from the towns and cities,
distance yourself from the constant noise. Breathe in some fresh air
(yes, it does still exist, but has to be sought out) – basically
get back to nature. Take a picnic, a hammock or a blanket and air
bathe. The therapeutic silence, the being in touch with and
surrounded by nature is, I think, a basic human longing. A necessity.
I live in the midst of man's largest
man-made 'forest' the sea of olive groves with more than 66 million
olive trees in the province of Jaen in northern Andalusia. Silence
prevails. Birds twitter, sunshine rules practically every day. Stress
isn't common here. It's hard not to relax. Impossible even.
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Perhaps I should set a challenge to
those who are stressed or full of anxiety and invite them to
experience the 'slow life' of the Sierra Sur de Jaen to see how
nature cures and restorative to mind and soul. Watch the swallows
build their nests and feed their young. Study the humming moth
seeking out nectar. Listen to the tinkling of the goats grazing under
the olive trees.
Go for a walk and see nobody. Let your
thoughts do their own thing. It's amazing how creativity and
imagination flow when you allow them to. It's not easy. But when you
actually stop scheming and planning then the very essence of you is
allowed to fruit.
Read other posts about the Sierra Sur de Jaen
Jaen, Land of Olive Groves, Olives Trees, Olives and Olive Oil
Star Tourism - Unesco Starlight Reserves in Spain
Walking in the Hinterland of the Sierra Sur de Jaen
