Forest Bathing
 

Something my brother said to me after a top scholar-athlete at his inner-city school committed suicide just kind of sticks to me. He referred to a “new despair” among the kids he is teaching. I’ve been trying to get a lot of the kids I work with to be more active and take advantage of the natural world ‘s ability to heal us monkeys. This is not meant to be a panacea but rather a way to supplement other good habits. The woman who wrote this Outside Magazine article has a new book with, I’m told pretty good science behind it. I’ll probably pick up the book and see for myself but here is the old article.

https://www.outsideonline.com/187038...gn=onsiteshare

That's fine for the younger kids. The older kids want Sexual Healing à la Marvin Gaye.

I can vouch for the power of walking the woods for helping organize thoughts. Probably won't answer questions but lets you know what you know and discard fragments of thoughts that aren't complete and just clutter up your thinking.
Works on horseback too, if you're comfortable with the horse.

If they use the forest bath as a means, I see value in it. If they use it as an end, I see it as just another chore.

If you are a city person, and doing this illuminates a sense of connection to the earth, and you can build on it daily, then yes. Get a banzai tree and take yourself into it every day.

If you must go pay for a trip to this particular place in order to lower your blood pressure periodically, then no. If you can not afford it, are you distraught?

Can the flow of traffic not be seen as a burbling brook? Is the spacious sky not omnipresent?

Fashion.

I can see people trying to organize and monetize a walk in the woods, that is, you know, bullshit. Tracking the effect on the human mind and body of allowing the brain to relax where natural patterns exist, however, seems like a good use of resources.

The problem I see with this is that the brook is wired into our monkey minds by evolution, the traffic is not. You can with intentionality create a oneness with the traffic flow but a walk up a stream bed will do it without effort. I guess it's whichever you see as work rather than good practice. It's easy enough for me to play in the woods on my way home from work, but others need to find what suits them and their lifestyle.

Or is it more about elbow room? I think if I lived in a city, I'd want to roam at night or early morning before the crowds become active.

I had a semi religious experience when I was young. Me and Dan and Mike were up in the mountains. We had pitched camp on the Loyalsock River, but they wanted beer. So they hiked back to the car and drove to town to get it. Left me alone on the river for about 3 hours that evening. Might have been dosed.... Probably was.... But... I remember vividly feeling in tune. It occurred to me that I could yell shout or sing, but I didn't. The sound of the river was deafening but also inaudible. I thought, what if a bear came by? Or wolves? Or a big cat? Then I thought... They probably wouldn't fuck with me. I'm dangerous too.

I was almost disappointed when they got back to camp.

It is easier to find myself when I'm by myself?.. I interact with humans at work, often with a great deal of intensity. I need me time (elbow room) if I'm to treat Pete as she should be treated. A guy could build a guitar or something to get that bit of space.

Hard to find yourself when you're step-n-fetchit for three females. :haha:

No lazy womens here!

I wouldn't be surprised if that were true.