The Healing Power of Trees: The Definitive Guide to Forest Bathing

Forest Bathing is more than just a walk in the woods. It is the practice of mindfully reconnecting with nature using the five senses, and there is a huge and growing body of evidence attesting to its many health benefits, which include:

- Reducing blood pressure

- Lowering stress

- Improving cardiovascular and metabolic health

- Lowering blood-sugar levels

- Improving concentration and memory

- Lifting depression

- Improving pain thresholds

- Improving energy

- Boosting the immune system with an increase in the count of the body’s natural killer (NK) cells

- Increasing anti-cancer protein production

- Helping lose weight

The Forest Bathing Institute has been championing this practice for several years, liaising with universities and government to research and publicise its merits and training hundreds of practitioners to spread the word. Now, for the first time, its founders share their ’Forest Bathing +’ method in this lush and definitive guide. Endlessly informative and with beautiful photographs, The Healing Power of Trees not only helps you plan your next forest-bathing trip, it also brings some of the benefits of communing with nature into your own home.

The Forest Bathing Institute (TFBI) was founded by Gary Evans and Olga Terebenina, who set out to advance the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in the UK, and started a programme of research dedicated to replicating the original physiological research carried out in Japan. Gary and Olga are peer-reviewed authors and are commited to furthering research into the effectiveness of this nature-based therapy.

In just a few years TFBI has grown to over 50 guides across the UK with many more in training. It has established links with over 20 universities, and numerous research programmes are underway. The Institute also works hard to raise awareness of the effectiveness of Forest Bathing+ and works closely with local and central government, charities and key policy makers to make Forest Bathing+ available to as many people who can benefit as possible.