Hello,
And welcome to Day 19 of Insight Timer's Building Healthy Habits Challenge.
Let's take a moment to get settled.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in and exhale out.
Let's dive into today's healthy habit.
Hi there.
Welcome to the Building Healthy Habits Challenge here on Insight Timer.
I hope you're enjoying the wide range of self-care practices and that you're beginning to take note of the practices you love most and maybe in the back of your mind starting to craft a routine of those favorites that works best for you.
My name is Damian Japaro.
I'm a founder of the Adriha Wellness Retreat,
And today I will be introducing you to a practice called forest bathing.
In the 80s,
Burnout was booming,
Much as it is today.
In Japan,
As an ecoantidote,
A physiological and a psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku was coined by Dr.
Quang Li.
While Western observers may have found the concept strange,
Shinrin-yoku is now grounded in solid evidence.
As you'll soon discover,
Forest bathing does what I call wellness stacking.
You'll be walking in nature,
Slowing down,
Unplugging,
And breathing in presence.
Each of these practices has its own merit,
But when you bring them together,
Something super special happens.
Forest bathing in this particular form has been shown to upregulate immune function,
Creativity,
Mood,
Recovery,
And sleep,
All while decreasing inflammation,
Blood pressure,
Pain,
And stress.
Does it sound too good to be true?
Practice,
And you should feel results immediately.
So let's go.
First you'll need to consider your forest bathing destination.
Choose a nature reserve that is as peaceful and undeveloped as possible.
But also don't worry if the nearest park is your best option.
Any outdoor nature environment will do.
Even on a busy sidewalk,
There's nature all around.
If you'd like my guidance,
Bring Insight Timer along with you and a comfortable set of headphones.
If you would prefer to do this without guidance,
Here are the simplified instructions.
Go to nature.
Set an intention to have no objective.
Slow down.
Smell.
Listen.
See.
Connect.
Wander.
And observe silence.
That's it.
For those that prefer guidance,
Simply head to your preferred nature reserve,
And when you're ready,
Hit play,
And I'll join you there.
You'll only need about 10 minutes,
And you can extend this practice out for as long as you'd like.
So go on.
Indulge.
Okay.
Let's get started.
Begin by walking in silence.
Take whatever pace you've begun with and cut it in half.
It is said that if you live indoors,
Work indoors,
Exercise indoors,
And socialize indoors,
You may likely be suffering from a nature deficit.
The senses can become dull,
Attention becomes scattered,
And mood suffers.
So let's take time to soak up our original home,
The forest.
Let your peripheral vision broaden,
And let your eyes take in your surroundings.
Let your eyesight penetrate more deeply,
See more clearly,
And notice more detail.
As you look,
See without naming or discussing.
Simply open your inner spacious witnessing capacity and let it all in.
Enjoy their sounds.
Let everything you hear have an unfamiliar quality so that your curiosity can open to the uniqueness.
Let nothing be resisted,
Not even the sound of your internal dialogue.
Just listen.
Enjoy with the idea of listening with your whole body.
Enjoy with the idea of listening with your whole body.
Smell.
May be our most intimate sense.
Each breath creates an exchange of not only gaseous molecules,
But fragrances,
Microparticles,
And phytochemicals.
Through our smell,
We are chemo detecting our environment,
Both receiving and giving.
With the next breath,
Just notice what is it that you receive,
What is it that you offer.
Even the first breath in,
The next breath out,
And remember to be carefree before becoming Next is a fun one.
If you're in a place where you feel like you can take your shoes and socks off,
Do it.
A review of evidence in Science Direct suggests that we should include barefoot walking in our daily routine.
Also known as earthing,
It is shown to reduce inflammation,
Pain,
And stress.
It also improves blood flow,
Sleep,
And a sense of vitality.
So whether through your feet or any outer layer of your skin suit,
Drop in,
Feel in,
Be in your senses,
Rest in your senses.
Isn't it neat that as we walk?
It feels that we're walking on the earth,
But the earth is also walking right back on us.
In fact,
You may be walking on one of the largest organisms on the planet,
Fungus.
And some would say the planet itself has a pulse.
Through your good souls,
Just allow yourself to connect with what's under your feet.
The speed that you're moving has an inverse relationship with your depth of awareness.
So slow,
Slow,
And slow again.
Effortless.
Walking.
Breathing in.
Can you feel the feel of the earth?
Feel the tingling information coming in through your nervous system.
Said that approximately 2 million bits of data are being received every second.
How many of them can you be aware of?
How many of them can you be aware of?
Next,
See if something around you draws your attention in and wants to be touched.
Place your hands on a tree,
On the earth,
Or maybe hold a stone.
Each molecule made of atoms vibrating with frequency,
Perhaps vibrating with life.
Just other forms of energy.
Just like you.
As you connect with this other,
Notice the way you feel something outside of you,
But you experience it inside of you.
And finally,
You,
Seeing everything inside your eyes,
Your head,
Your flow of energy.
What an incredible sensory experience.
Take a moment just to send a thank you out to all your cells.
Feel the warmth of your appreciation.
This gift of life not to be missed.
Alright my friends,
It's time for me to leave you to continue.
An old Shinto saying says,
So I wish you all the happiness,
Good health,
And prosperity that you deserve.
If getting outside has positively shifted something inside you today,
How would you think you could incorporate more nature into your everyday?
Feel free to share your thoughts,
Ideas,
And insights in the forum.
Happy bathing to you.
