October 05, 2024

Quote of the Week

"And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul." - John Muir

Forest Bathing - Shinrin Yoku

Forest bathing is the practice of immersing yourself in nature in a mindful way, using your senses to derive a whole range of benefits for your physical, mental, emotional, and social health. It is also known as Shinrin-yoku. ‘Shinrin’ means forest and ‘Yoku’ stands for bathing. The idea took birth in Japan in the 1980’s and proved to be a very effective tool to overcome the ill effects of a hectic life and stressful work environment.

Forest bathing in nature allows the stressed portions of your brain to relax. Positive hormones are released in the body. You feel less sad, angry and anxious. It helps to avoid stress and burnout, and aids in fighting depression and anxiety. A forest bath is known to boost immunity and leads to lesser days of illness as well as faster recovery from injury or surgery. Nature has a positive effect on our mind as well as body. It improves heart and lung health, and is known to increases focus, concentration and memory. [Know More]

Reading Corner

Title: The Boy Who Grew a Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng
By: Sophia Gholz (Author), Kayla Harren (Illustrations)
Ages: 5+

As a boy, Jadav Payeng was distressed by the destruction deforestation and erosion was causing on his island home in India's Brahmaputra River. So he began planting trees. What began as a small thicket of bamboo, grew over the years into 1,300 acre forest filled with native plants and animals. The Boy Who Grew a Forest tells the inspiring true story of Payeng—and reminds us all of the difference a single person with a big idea can make.

You can watch a video of the book as a Vook

Be the Change

We encourage you to take a "forest bath" this week. In case you live in a place where it's not easy to reach a forest, make a plan to visit one in the next few weeks and make it happen.