I’m not exactly a natural inhabitant of the wilderness. The couch and the television hold too much pull for me to regularly throw myself into the wilds, but when I end up there, generally having been convinced to go by someone else, I’m always overcome by the power of nature.
The forest always does it for me. The silence of it. The height of the trees. The feeling of being in a space that doesn’t belong to you, but to the many creatures who inhabit it. It’s special.
The Japanese call it
shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, and it is a national pastime there. It’s believed to reduce stress and promote wellbeing. Just thinking about it is making me feel peaceful. Why don’t I do it more often again?