As I dug through my purse for my car keys, the smell of mint inspired an immediate, good-feeling response. I’d hurriedly stashed the sprig there after the service at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham. Anne had given a presentation on the practice of Forest Bathing that morning and had passed a supply around to the congregation. The plan for an outdoor experience after the service was in jeopardy with extreme heat and wet weather in the forecast. The mint was a nature experience stand-in, just in case. But the fates were on our side. It did not rain, and the day proved cooler than any we’d had in weeks. She passed the sprigs around anyway.
Forest Bathing is an ancient tradition and has been practiced for thousands of years. A long-time meditator, yoga practitioner, and teacher, Anne began Forest Bathing as an awareness practice with Wild Alabama, an organization whose focus is on protecting and honoring the wild places of Alabama.
Her interest grew from participating in the practice to facilitating practices of communing with nature- at a time when we need it most.
Anne trained with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. I learned of Forest Bathing from Anne when I attended one of her sessions at the Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful day spent in soothing surroundings. The healing experience of being outdoors with kind souls and a gentle purpose was palpable.
On this day, Anne was offering a free, abbreviated session to the Unitarian Universalist attendees. The session began with some guidance, tips about the grounds, the time frame, and suggestions for contemplation. Participants were invited but not forced to share after each session.
Just her introduction encouraged the immediate release of the day’s busy-ness. With the first invitation, we set off in search of movement. I communed with branches swaying, birds soaring overhead, and the pirouetting of leaves in the gentle wind, and any tension I’d brought with me eased with the task of slowing down and noticing.
We returned to the circle to check in and discuss what we saw, felt, or noticed. Our second invitation suggested the contemplation of relationships, not with others but with the natural world.
“Move away from the idea of entering nature and toward the idea of being nature.”
Upon the gentle toll of a bell, we again returned to the circle to share thoughts, experiences, and sensations. Other attendees’ words, also influenced by the nature walk, became a part of the nature experience and added to the calm.
Afterward, as I departed, the unexpected scent released a wash of euphoria over me, partly from the pleasantness of the mint itself but also from the residual good feelings gained from the practice, and these positive internal shifts continued throughout the day.
The philosophy of Forest Bathing makes such profound yet simple sense. The trend of being indoors is relatively new in our current evolutionary stage. We evolved in nature, and we need to be in it. Nature is us, and we are it.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham