Need to unwind and relax this weekend? How about some Shinrin-yoku? ‘Forest bathing’, is standard preventative medicine in Japan and becoming more popular in the UK too! People are beginning to realise that time in nature is the perfect antidote to feeling stressed out.
Did you know that a little time outdoors relaxes and de-stresses the body, encourages creativity and increases memory? Forest bathing is good exercise, also reducing blood pressure, increasing oxygen in the blood and making your heart and lungs stronger. And how about improving the quality of your sleep, reduces chronic pain and makes you feel happier?!
And there’s more! Being in nature also soothes your brain and helps you concentrate when you get back to work by increasing serotonin levels. Time in nature is also known to decrease depression and increases levels of Vitamin D.
And if you want to go one stage further – walking barefoot is even better for you! You absorb free energy from the earth, it is a real treat for your feet and gives them a rest from being inside shoes as well as providing reflexology and toe stretching!
Try and make an effort to get outside today or tomorrow and take advantage of what is on your doorstep! Relax in nature this weekend!