You don’t always have to look far to experience more calm. Sometimes, it starts with something much simpler: slowing down and noticing what is happening around you.
That is exactly what forest bathing, or the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, is about. It is not a hike with a step goal, but a way of spending time among the trees and experiencing your surroundings through your senses. The Japanese Forestry Agency introduced forest bathing in 1982 as a way to encourage people to enjoy and connect with forests.
And that is precisely why yoga fits so naturally into the experience.
What exactly is forest bathing?
Forest bathing literally translates as ‘bathing in the atmosphere of the forest’. You don’t need to go on a long hike or cover a certain number of kilometres. It is more about the quality of your presence than the distance you walk.
You move slowly, pause from time to time and consciously engage your senses. What does the earth smell like? How does the light move through the leaves? What sounds can you hear when you are not trying to tune them out?
This sensory way of connecting with nature is at the heart of shinrin-yoku. Research into forest bathing suggests possible benefits for stress and psychological wellbeing, although the scientific evidence is not yet strong enough to make therapeutic claims.
That is also what makes forest bathing interesting. You don’t need to turn it into a performance or give it a specific health goal.
Why yoga and forest bathing work so well together
Yoga and forest bathing are easy to combine. A yoga practice in the forest can start with a slow walk. Then find a place where you feel comfortable standing or sitting. A few simple poses are enough: a standing forward fold, gentle twists or a few rounds of Sun Salutations.
The difference between practising in a studio and practising outdoors is not just the setting. Outside, your attention naturally becomes broader. You feel the temperature on your skin, hear birds or the wind moving through the trees, and move on a surface that is not completely predictable.
This makes combining forest bathing and yoga less of a specific technique and more of a way to take your practice beyond the studio and into the world around you.
Let nature set the pace
One of the most interesting things about forest bathing may be what you don’t have to do.
No perfect yoga flow. No playlist. No complicated sequence. No need to sit still for twenty minutes if that doesn’t feel right for you.
You can walk, breathe, move through a few poses and then simply sit somewhere. One moment you are moving, the next you are looking at a tree. That shift makes the experience feel less goal-oriented.
It also has a practical side when it comes to clothing. An outfit for yoga in the forest should not only feel comfortable during your practice, but also work for walking, sitting and moving across different surfaces. Trousers that don’t feel restrictive when you squat, a top that moves with your body and layers that are easy to put on or take off can be more useful than an outfit designed for just one type of movement.
How to create your own forest bathing practice
You don’t need a special location or extensive preparation. Choose a forest or green space where you don’t have to constantly watch the clock.
Start by walking without making a particular route your goal. Put your phone away and give yourself some time to move out of your usual pace. Then, you can move into a short yoga practice, for example:
- a few gentle Sun Salutations;
- standing poses such as Warrior II or Tree Pose;
- gentle hip and shoulder openers;
- a few minutes of seated breathing or meditation.
Finish with a short walk without a specific destination.
The most important thing is that yoga doesn’t have to take centre stage. Sometimes, one pose among the trees is enough.
On and off the mat
Forest bathing also highlights something about conscious living that can easily get lost when everything has a purpose. You don’t have to make use of nature, optimise your yoga practice or make your free time productive.
Perhaps that is the most interesting connection between shinrin-yoku and yoga. Both can invite you to spend less time thinking about what comes next and more time noticing what is actually happening in the present moment.
So put on something you can move freely in, find a place with trees and let your practice be guided by something other than a schedule. Walk. Move. Look around. And give nature enough time to become more than just a backdrop.