Shirin Yoku is Japanese way of taking a mindful walk in nature. The word Shirin means forest and Yoku means bathing. It’s actually a process of therapeutic exercise in spending time in forest. It took off in 1980s to get away from the stress of city life and spend time in nature and experience the smell, sounds and texture of trees, streams and pathways. It reduces anxiety, lowers blood pressure and boosts immunity. One takes a slow walk or just be there in nature enjoying its beauty, not just a stroll.
Modern life brings with it work pressure, and sometimes it starts affecting not just our health but our productivity too. Shirin Yoku helps us in getting a new perspective about life. All ancient civilizations were in harmony with nature. Remember human beings started as hunter gatherers in forests? So our connection with nature is deep rooted. Have you ever been inside a forest or a large park and wondered about the vastness and variety of sounds and smells? Even a walk on a trail near you refreshes you. I am very fortunate to have a trail at a minutes walk from my house. It has a creek and a lake and believe me there are patches where one doesn’t feel we are in a city. We go and sit near the lake and just being there calms me. It’s like meditation.
People pay large sums of money to go to a resort near a sea to relax. For me a contemplative walk in nature is therapeutic. Sun shining through trees, the gentle melody of a stream nearby and the sounds of birds take away all the stress. One should not hurry but just be with nature and you will find it relaxes you in ways you never thought possible. Even if it’s not possible to do this everyday, weekends can be fun with relaxing in nature. Mind you that a day out on the beach with hundreds of people is not Shirin Yoku which is actually forest bathing.
So you think it’s for you? Try it. Just be there in nature a few times and see how it relaxes you.
So be it !!!
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