Lisa Duncan, who lives at Sutton Place at the bottom of Holmbury Hill, has launched Forest Bathing in the Hurtwood – fully clothed, no swimming involved!
Forest Bathing was originally developed in Japan as a process of relaxation known as Shinrin Yoku and it is becoming increasingly popular in the West. It is a simple method of being calm and quiet amongst the trees, observing nature around you whilst breathing deeply which has been found to help both adults and children de-stress and boost health and wellbeing in a natural way.
Lisa is currently studying to become a Forest Bathing Guide through The Forest Bathing Institute.
“I love living here and being able to access the beautiful woodland of Holmbury Hill,” she said. “This is one of the reasons I have decided to study Forest Bathing. Through living here for the past eight years, I have come to realise that having access to nature, and specifically the woodland, I have felt the well-being effects.
“In my research, I have found out how the aromatic oils from trees, like the Scots Pine, also have a positive physiological effect on our bodies. There is scientific evidence that these aromatic oils, called phytoncides, help our immune systems by increasing NK cells that attack viruses. What an amazing thing, especially in this age of Covid!”
In order to become a qualified Forest Bathing guide, Lisa needed to complete at least six case study sessions. These free sessions consisted of two to three hours in the woods, slowly walking and stopping at different points for mindfulness activities and meditation. The area covered during this walk is about a mile (a Forest Bathing walk aims to keep the heart rate down so as to be in a continuous relaxed state).
Lisa chose two areas, near the two ponds and near the Pinetum. The sessions simply involve walking slowly, stopping at different points (e.g. the pond, the canopy of trees, a tree stump, a particular tree, etc) doing a mindfulness activity, using sight, sound, smell and touch (such as sunlight, touching a tree bark, dried leaves, soil, etc).
So if you come across groups of people standing quietly looking up the trees, they may be enjoying a peaceful forest bath. Contact Lisa Duncan at lisa@hinokiforestbathing.co.uk.
This article was first published in the Friends of the Hurtwood autumn 2021 newsletter, available here.
