ShinRin Yoku is Japanese for Forest Bath.
I’ve always been a nature lover. I have the great pleasure and luxury of living near some of the most lush trails. I walk them and bathe in them regularly. I’ve spent hours in the forest with my beloved Kashi who passed a few years ago. That was our thing. He loved the forest as much as I. It was our sacred space to sprawl and spread our wings. We took so much comfort and joy in the forest together on hundreds of occasions. To read my article about Akash and the joy he brought to my life and the meaning he holds for me, the service he rendered click here. He was perhaps the greatest love of my life.
Sorry – I digress, back to forest bathing. I wanted to know more. I wanted to take a deeper dive. Was there something I was missing? Was I doing it right?
Shinrin Yoku implies bathing in it fully and completely with all of your senses. So I wanted to know more. Perhaps there was guidance for me to get more out of the experience.
So I reached out to Nature Connection Guide Hana Lee Goldin. She leads walks in the forest up and down the state. She’s from the bay area, but has moved down south.
And lucky for her and for us I suppose the pandemic seems to be good for business and for the soul I presume. There are more people taking to nature these days. With everything closed or still not quite open the way it all once was nature seems to be calling moreso than ever before.
Again I’ve always been drawn to nature more than the amusement park or the circus or things of that sort. It’s the chi of the trees and the solace and solitude, the quietude that has drawn me in time and time again.
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Hana in essentially what is my backyard – Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland. We met at the trailhead and she lead me on magical little walk offering tips and guidance and how to get the most out of the forest.
She was poetic, deeply connected to nature and prophetic in her guidance. I hope you too will get something from our time together and the expertise she shares about taking delight in the forest.
Checkout this post here for more on the power of nature.
