Books––books have been on my mind quite a bit lately. Actually, books are the reason I haven’t written a blog in several weeks. Since my last blog, Caesar and I have traveled to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and to several local trails over and over. And in fact, I used a book in CVNP to help us pick out our trails this time around. But, recently, most of my time has been spent focused on reading for school.
This semester I’m spending a lot of time reading my women’s studies book, religious theories book, Lingua Latina, and random works of poetry. I truly love to read, but sometimes I get tired reading school-required books. There isn’t a lot of room for “fun reading” these days. When I do read for fun, I focus on short books, essays, or books that can easily be read bit by bit with log intervals of time before I pick it up again.
Friday, I popped into Barns & Noble before school to look around and I discovered an interesting book about “forest bathing”––a term I had never heard before. I was draw to the book because it seemed to be about trees, and, as we all know, I super, duper love trees.
The book, The Japanese Art and Science of Shinrin-Yoku Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness, focuses on the benefits of “forest bathing.” I haven’t had a chance to begin reading the book yet, but a quick Google search told me that forest bathing is routinely practiced in Japan and is meant to help individuals become more mindful and connected with nature. I thought to myself, “I think I forest bathe almost every day.” But, the truth is that forest bathing is much different from the hiking that Caesar and I do. Forest bathing requires individuals to deeply focus on their surroundings through the senses.
Often, when Caesar and I venture into nature, I am so focused on moving forward and walking that I forget to take a look around. Forest bathing is supposed to make you stop moving forward, and instead help guide you in finding inner peace and mindfulness through the sights you see in the forest, and by making you listen to the sounds, smell nature, and touch the things around you.
I’m really interested in finding out about more about forest bathing and sharing my findings with you. We all know that nature is very powerful. Even though I may not take a lot of time to deeply connect with my surroundings, I know the insides of the woods have been a place where Caesar and I have found a stronger connection, and it’s served as a place that brings me peace and health.