Nigel is the founder of REROOT YOURSELF™ – a detailed look at the science behind nature and wellness, helping busy people with limited time tap into the art of forest bathing and the healing power of nature.
Throughout June I’ll be sharing tips and insights on how to Forest Bathe exclusively on 9KM BY 9AM and the Outside & Active website. A 30-minute forest bathe once or twice a week will help you slow down. It will bring you into the present moment and de-stress and relax you.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Letting the forest in is the key to unlocking its power – let nature enter through your eyes, ears nose, mouth, hands and feet.
Today we’re looking at the forest through our eyes.
PATTERNS IN THE FOREST
Fractal patterns are everywhere in nature – like the branch network of a tree.
We are hard wired to respond to these fractal patterns. Looking at these kind of patterns can reduce our stress by as much as 60 per cent! We evolved in natural world so can process its patterns easily this relaxes us and comforts us and make us feel awe.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIGHT
The light most of us see is not natural but the glow off a screen artificial light. However, our eyes evolved when we lived in the forest. Different colours have different effects on us…
ORANGES & REDS – make us feel alert. Think of how you feel when we see the sunrise and sunset natural light.
GREENS & BLUES – research shows blues and greens make us most restful. They make us less anxious and reduce stress. We need water to live and where there is water there is green and we can find food. Humans are accustomed to green and reassured by it. Green is the colour we see most shades of.
GREYS – or urban scenes makes us unhappier and more aggressive.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Find a space in the forest, wood, park or garden. Slow down… sit peacefully. Focus on your breath 10 deep in and out breaths.
Look…
– Up at the clouds
– The patterns of the branches of a tree
– Closely at the veins in a leaf
– At water
– The patterns inside a flower
Do this for 20 minutes.
Breathe deeply throughout concentrating on your breath as an anchor. Write in your journal what you saw and how you feel after the session.
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Here are some examples of ‘fractal patterns’ in the trees…
