Forest Bathing: When a Walk in the Woods Becomes Meditation
I mentioned in my last article that one of my favorite forms of meditation is walking meditation—particularly when I can do it in a forest.
There is something about being among trees that makes mindfulness easier for me. Instead of sitting somewhere trying to convince my brain to quiet down, I can give it things to notice: the ground beneath my feet, birds somewhere above me, the smell of damp soil, moss growing on a fallen log, sunlight coming through the canopy, wind moving through leaves.
Eventually, I'm not trying particularly hard to meditate anymore. I'm simply there.
As it turns out, there is an established practice built around something very similar: forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku.
No swimsuit required
Despite the name, forest bathing doesn't involve actually bathing in anything.
Shinrin-yoku is generally translated as “taking in the forest atmosphere.” The term emerged in Japan in the early 1980s, and the practice centers on intentionally immersing yourself in a forest environment and engaging with it through your senses.
This isn't hiking in the way I usually think about hiking. There doesn't need to be a destination. You're not trying to cover five miles, conquer a mountain, beat your previous pace, close the rings on your watch, or accomplish much of anything.
In fact, you don't necessarily have to walk very far at all. Forest bathing can include slowly wandering, stopping, sitting, observing, listening, smelling, touching, and simply spending time in the environment.
The point isn't what you accomplish while you're in the forest. The point is noticing that you're there.
Forest bathing and walking meditation
This is probably why forest bathing immediately made sense to me. It has a lot in common with walking meditation.
In a traditional walking meditation, attention might be directed toward the physical experience of walking: your foot meeting the ground, your weight shifting, the rhythm of your steps, or your breathing.
Forest bathing can use that same kind of deliberate attention, but much of it turns outward.
What can you hear? What does the air smell like? How does the bark of a tree feel beneath your hand? Where is the light coming through the branches? How many shades of green can you actually see when you stop treating “green” as one color?
The forest gives your attention somewhere to go.
When your mind inevitably wanders back toward your to-do list, your phone, work, money, tomorrow, yesterday, or whatever else your brain has decided urgently requires your attention, there is something tangible waiting to bring you back: a bird, a breeze, a fern, your feet on the trail.
In that way, forest bathing can become a form of nature-based mindfulness.
And apparently, the forest itself may matter
This is where the subject becomes particularly interesting to me.
Researchers aren't only asking whether slowing down and practicing mindfulness is beneficial. They're also investigating whether there is something about forest environments themselves that contributes to the experience.
Trees and other plants release naturally occurring airborne compounds known as biogenic volatile organic compounds. You've probably encountered another word associated with some of them: phytoncides.
These compounds contribute to the characteristic scents of forests. Researchers have explored whether exposure to them may play some role in physiological responses observed during time spent in forest environments, including effects involving stress regulation and immune activity.
That does not mean I'm going to tell you that breathing next to a cedar tree will magically supercharge your immune system. The science isn't that simple. But it is fascinating.
A recent review of forest-bathing research found associations with changes including lower cortisol, shifts toward parasympathetic nervous-system activity, and increased natural killer (NK) cell activity in some studies. Researchers are investigating whether forest-derived compounds, sensory experiences, reduced environmental stressors, psychological relaxation—or some combination of all of these—help explain those observations.
The authors also point out an important limitation: studies vary considerably in their design, environments, length of exposure, and measurements. That makes it difficult to determine exactly which part of the forest-bathing experience causes which effect.
In other words: Something interesting appears to be happening. We're still figuring out exactly why.
What we know best: forests seem to help us slow down
Of all the proposed benefits of forest bathing, the evidence for short-term stress reduction appears to be among the strongest.
Studies comparing time in forest environments with urban environments have reported changes in measures such as cortisol, blood pressure, pulse rate, and autonomic nervous-system activity.
But this is another place where I think responsible wellness education matters.
Many forest-bathing studies are relatively small. Protocols vary. Some measure brief exposures; others study longer experiences. Long-term outcomes aren't nearly as well established as the immediate effects.
Forest bathing should not be presented as a treatment for depression, hypertension, immune disorders, or other medical conditions simply because researchers have observed interesting physiological changes.
It can be something much simpler than that: a low-risk way of deliberately making space for rest, sensory awareness, movement, nature, and attention.
And I think that's already valuable.
Maybe we don't always need to accomplish something outside
This might be my favorite part of the whole idea.
We have become very good at turning outdoor recreation into another achievement. How many miles? How much elevation? How fast? Did you reach the summit? Did you get the photo? Did your watch record it?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with hiking for exercise or challenging yourself physically. I love actually going somewhere in nature too.
But forest bathing asks something different of us.
What if, occasionally, the purpose of going into the woods wasn't to get through the woods?
What if you walked slowly enough to smell them?
What if you stopped?
What if you touched the bark, noticed the moss, listened for birds, watched light move through the trees, and let yourself be somewhere without needing to accomplish anything while you were there?
That feels very familiar to me. It's mindfulness. It's walking meditation. It's paying attention.
And perhaps it's also something humans have been doing for much longer than we've had a scientific name for it: going into the woods and feeling a little more like ourselves again.
Sources & Further Reading
Hansen, M. M., Jones, R., & Tocchini, K. (2017). “Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(8), 851.
This review examined 64 studies of the physiological, psychological, and sensory effects associated with shinrin-yoku and nature therapy and called for additional longitudinal research.
Bandyopadhyay, A., Shah, S., & Roviello, G. N. (2026). “Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku) and Preventive Medicine: Immune Modulation, Stress Regulation, Neurocognitive Resilience, and Neurological Health.” Medical Sciences, 14(1), 95.
This narrative review examines research involving stress physiology, cortisol, parasympathetic activity, natural killer (NK) cells, forest-derived compounds such as phytoncides, and possible neurocognitive effects. The authors also emphasize substantial heterogeneity and the need for more standardized and longitudinal research.
Full open-access study • PubMed • DOI
Li, Q. (2022). “Effects of Forest Environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest Bathing) on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention—the Establishment of ‘Forest Medicine.’” Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 27, 43.
Dr. Qing Li reviews the development of forest medicine and research into forest environments, stress reduction, immune activity, and related physiological responses.
Giusti, M., Vårhammar, A. I., Masterson, V. A., & Cau Wetterholm, P. E. (2025). “Novel Pathways to Value Nature: How Guided Forest Bathing Promotes New Relationships with Nature.” Ecology and Society, 30(2), 19.
This multimethod study of 10 guided forest-bathing sessions in Sweden found that participants described the experiences as mindful, restorative, and meaningful in deepening their relationships with nature.
Additional Reading
Li, Qing. Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness. A reader-friendly introduction to shinrin-yoku from one of the leading researchers in forest medicine.
MedShadow — “The Science Behind Forest Bathing.” An accessible overview of forest-bathing research and limitations in the evidence. Read the article