The latest catch phrase is “Nature Bathing“. The term comes from Japan (always so in tune with the natural world) in the 1990’s and is now taking hold in America. Somehow we are now discovering that time spent in nature works like medicine to not only refresh our spirit but it actually improves your physical health (beyond just helping you get fit).
Meaningful wandering in the wilderness (or at least more wild and untamed than your 9-5 commute or the line at the grocery store) is now shown to reduce blood pressure and stress (real killers), as well as boost immunity.
Despite taking me a bit to get out the door this last weekend, it was worth my sanity to drive up into the mountains without a care that the snow was lightly falling from the heavens. Sometimes you just have to set your mind and soul right.
I might not have walked slow enough for the technical definition of “nature bathing” but I think it did the trick anyway. I stopped for lots of pictures! The idea is to be present in nature, noticing the details around you. Leaving your cares back at home, at least for a little while.
As the article above quotes from Henry David Thoreau:
I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least — and it is commonly more than that — sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements.
No one has to tell me that nature is medicine, and I’m sure this news doesn’t come as a surprise to you either.
Click on the above pictures for more information about my hike to White Chuck Bench Trail outside Darrington, WA.
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