Connecting with Forests
By Jeff Zeringue
Louisiana Forestry Association
Shinrin is the Japanese word for forest. The word for bath in Japanese is yoku. Put together you get the phrase that has been popping up in stories across the globe — forest bathing — encouraging people to spend more time in forests as a way to decompress or reset.
The Japanese culture has a close connection with the natural world, as described by Dr. Qing Li, who has promoted “forest bathing” in a book by the same title. Li, chairman of the Japanese Society for Forest Medicine, explains how in his culture, trees and forests play a huge role in changing moods from stressful to calm.