Nature has a healing effect on all and sundry, and the prescription is to just soak in the abundance of air, water, and forest. If you think this kind of medication works best for you too, then join Anna Zimmer as she leads a bunch of nature enthusiasts on a walk through the woods called Forest Bathing.
“Our forest bathing walks are based on Shinrin-yoku, a term that means ‘taking in the forest atmosphere’ or ‘forest bathing’. It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. From there it has spread globally, and many associations in the West spread forest bathing or similar concepts, like the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy in the USA,” says Zimmer, highlighting forest bathing’s history.
Zimmer helps others reconnect others with nature and their self through a set of forest games, activities and meditation during a deliberately slow walk in the woods. Elucidating its importance, she adds, “Forest bathing has proven to lower stress levels, lower blood pressure and boost your immune system, as well as decrease levels of anxiety and depression. She started conducting Forest Bathing in 2017, and since April 2018, has been regularly conducting walks at Swechha.
“As the demand is steady now, we are doing this every month since July. People in Delhi seem to look for something where they can unwind and relax as life here can be pretty hectic and stressful as we all know. Also, people like to discover new areas they haven’t been to, and many realise that a Forest Bathing walk is quite different from a normal stroll in the woods or from their morning walk with the dog. It also makes people realise that there are quite a few other likeminded nature lovers around,” she says.
There are different walk formats. “We do the public walks with Swechha once a month and want to keep them very accessible to everyone, so we are just charging `150 person for a 1.5-hour walk. Our December 2 walk is sold out, as we keep the group small at maximum 15 people,” says Zimmer.
She has started offering more tailored walks for closed groups, as a group of teachers or for companies and depending on the preparation time going in these. “It’s the need of the hour. People are spending time in front of screens, and get distracted by gadgets,” she says.The author writes on food and entertainment among other things.