What Is Forest Bathing And Its Benefits For Louisiana Residents?

(KMDL-FM) Isn't it funny how when you're a kid, taking a bath isn't usually an activity that's at the top of your list of fun things to do, but once you become an adult, you'd give half a day's pay just to spend a few hours soaking in a hot tub or relaxing in a warm shower. Bathing not only cleans the body, but it cleans the mind, right?

It's in this spirit that a new practice that began in Japan is beginning to take hold in the United States, and Louisiana would be perfect for the practice of forest bathing. Now, before you start conjuring up ways to get a bathtub on the Azalea Trail in the Kisatchie National Forest, let's understand a few things about what forest bathing is supposed to entail.

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What Is Forest Bathing, and Is It Legal to Do in Public in Louisiana?

The practice came about in 1982. Okay, folks have been doing it long before 1982, but the Japanese government commissioned a study on forest bathing, and the results of that study not only concluded that forest bathing was beneficial, but it should be encouraged.

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This is how the practice of shinrin-yoku spread from Japan and is now making its way into the mindful existence of many Americans. The concept of forest bathing might look like a walk in the woods at first, but it is so much more because of so much less.

What Items Do You Need to Forest Bathe, and Do You Have to Take Your Clothes Off?

To properly forest bathe, one must take a walk in a natural area. The walk is slow and purposeful. There are no screens, no phones, no notes, no notebooks; it's just you paying attention to nature. The practice encourages the forest bather to not only observe the forest through sight but through all of the senses.

Many healthcare providers, both traditional and non-traditional, are "prescribing" forest bathing for their patients. The mindful escape has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, lower blood pressure, and improve an overall feeling of good health.

Maybe that's why so many Louisiana residents who hunt and fish always seem to be so relaxed. They spent time bathing in the forest, or they snuck a flask into the deer stand, either way it's okay as long as you remember to practice firearms safety while you're forest bathing.