Green Peace: Forest Bathing in Vancouver

This article is part of the FT Globetrotter feature. Vancouver Guide

Light filters through a canopy of towering Douglas firs. The trunks stretch toward a stretch of blue sky. Birdsong cuts through the silence.

We are commanded to stay still, feet planted on the ground, feeling the breeze on our skin, inhaling the scent of earth and pine, listening to the creatures scurrying through the undergrowth. Every so often, we do a quarter turn to look toward a different part of the forest, senses trained on the altered dimension. Here, a ray of sunlight on my face. There, the hum of sun-drunk insects. The 360-degree turn complete, we open our eyes and greet the tree directly in front of us, registering it as if for the first time.

Despite first appearances, this is not a tree cult initiation ceremony. Rather, I am participating in a guided forest bath in the Vancouver forest. Lighthouse Parkan old-growth temperate rainforest hugging the shores of West Vancouver. It is the only remaining old-growth Douglas fir forest in the region, a 75-hectare paradise that stretches all the way to the cliffs overlooking Burrard Inlet. The tree-waving exercise, as far as I can see, is an effort to get you fully here, quieting the chattering mind to better hear the enveloping sound of the forest landscape.

There were 10 of us participating in the session organized by Talaysay Toursa company founded by Candace and Larry Campo, members of the Shíshálh (Sechelt) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) nations. Their scope encompasses Indigenous tourism and land-based education, celebrating Indigenous culture and history through tours such as Talking Totems and Song of Birds. The two-hour forest bath costs CAD$74 ($54/£42) per person and includes mindfulness activities, guided meditations and tea made from locally foraged berries.

The idea of ​​a guided forest bath may seem a little absurd. Why not just take a walk in the woods? Why yoga mats and tree-centered meditations, intentional walks and wayfinding cards?

Talaysay offers it as a way to “experience nature intentionally and consciously to reconnect with your original essence as part of living creation.” The practice combines mindfulness and meditation with an immersion in the forest. While its roots lie in Japan, it has been adopted by the West in recent years and has become embedded in self-help jargon alongside meditation. sound baths and sensory deprivation tanks. Luxury hotels and boutique stays now offer it to their guests. Justin Bieber and the Princess of Wales are among its fans.

The practice, known as Shinrin-yokuoriginated in Japan in the 1980s as a response to Caroshi — death from overwork. Dr. Qing Li (the godfather of forest bathing) warned of the toxic work culture plaguing the country’s population and prescribed an antidote: immersion in nature. At the time, there was little research to back up the theory, only the hunch of a naturally inclined doctor. Yet the state swallowed his pill wholesale. Trails opened through Japan’s verdant forests, government-certified guides abounded, and promotional initiatives encouraged citizens to get out into the woods.

Since then, much research has been done on the phenomenon and forest bathing has become a worldwide practice. It is booming in Vancouver and Canada in general. Parks have begun establishing “forest therapy” trails and the University of British Columbia is researching its purported health benefits.

The region is well suited for this type of activity. It is part of a temperate biome that stretches from northern British Columbia to Oregon and is famous for its magnificent old-growth forests and towering trees. About 60 percent of British Columbia is covered by forests.

Research suggests that spending time in the forest may lower heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol (the stress hormone) levels, as well as decrease mental fatigue and irritability, and even possibly strengthen the immune system. Trees release airborne chemicals called phytoncides that, according to studies led by Li, increase white blood cells and thus the body’s resistance to infections and diseases.

I am easier to convert than others (I hug a tree when the impulse comes to me). Other members of our group were more skeptical, both regarding the idea in general and the post-activity sharing circles where we had to talk about our experience.

But there is something to be said for deliberately focusing attention on your surroundings, for a more conscious engagement with nature – taking the time to really listen, observe and smell. This is especially so in our screen-addicted world, where the first instinct upon witnessing something beautiful in nature is to pull out a phone and photograph it.

“When you hike, you have a destination,” says our guide, Taylor McKee, 22, “whereas forest therapy is about getting out of your head and into your senses and really connecting with yourself, your body, and the land around you.”

McKee has been leading forest bathing sessions for the past two years, for both locals and tourists. Her interest in the practice was born out of a longing to connect with her roots. She is Japanese-Canadian; her grandmother was born in an internment camp in Canada after Pearl Harbor. She practices traditions such as Shinrin-yoku It was an attempt to recover their culture and rethink their past.

When each of us takes a short, solitary walk in the woods, we are told to look for things. Go slowly, McKee says. The slower you go, the more you see. And it’s true. My attention narrows and widens at the same time. In addition to the swaying branches overhead, I notice a curled leaf floating toward the ground, a caterpillar crawling along a stem, the tiny bud of a berry.

For our last activity, we each choose a spot to sit on the cliffs overlooking the glistening waters of the fjord. The theory is that if one sits quietly for 20 minutes, nature will return to its original, undisturbed state. As I sit quietly, tiny creatures emerge from the undergrowth. Yellow birds flutter among the treetops. A butterfly dances around me before landing on a moss-covered log. All is quiet and serene.

Jessica Rawnsley was invited to Destination Canada and the Shangri-La Group

Have you tried forest bathing? If so, what did you think? Share your experience in the comments below. And follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter