Five Ways to Incorporate Nature Into Your Wellness Routine
Whether in a backyard, park, beach, lakefront or walking trail, ecotherapy rituals are accessible ways to reconnect with the world around you while restoring your spirit.
In the 1980s, Japanese officials sought to improve the mental and physical health of the public through a concept called Shinrin-yoku, which loosely translates to “forest bathing.” The idea was that, historically, human beings have existed in close proximity to nature, but over time, a severed relationship with plants, soil and fresh air has caused adverse physical and emotional outcomes. Forest bathing was introduced as a way to counteract the effects of things like man-made cities marked by artificiality.