We have spent a lot of time walking and enjoying the woods since March. I find myself drawn to trees and have done since childhood, when I used to climb the trees in our orchard and eat their fruit, of course. So, I was interested to read about something called ‘forest bathing’. A practice that has been followed by the Japanese for some years and is known as Shinrin-Yoku.
In the 1980’s the Japanese Forest Agency started to promote the physical and mental health benefits of taking a walk through the trees. How it can lower your blood pressure, calm your thoughts and re-connect you with nature.
There are five recognised steps to take if you wish to try, it is very simple :-
1. Leave your phone, camera and any other distractions at home.
2. Leave your goals and expectations and wander wherever your body takes you.
3. Pause and reflect occasionally on what is immediately around you. A leaf, a tree, the floor beneath your feet.
4. Find a comfy place, sit or lie down and simply listen to the changing sounds and smells around you.
5. If you go with friends or family agree not to talk until the end of your walk when you can share your experiences.
During these uncertain and fast changing times my emotions have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride on occasion. Our walks through the local woods have been an integral part of maintaining balance and calm and I realise how much we have relied on these moments, watching the trees from early spring to what is now early summer, ever changing with the seasons yet the one constant reliable place to regain some inner peace.
The importance humans attach to trees is recorded as long ago as 2000 years, in ‘The Mahavamsa’. The Indian Emperor Ashoka the Great had a branch removed from an important tree, where the Buddha was said to have attained enlightenment. Ashoka bestowed kingship on the branch and planted it in a thick-rimmed solid gold vase. He then took the branch over mountains and down the River Ganges to the Bay of Bengal. Once there his daughter sailed for Sri Lanka and presented it to the King. Ashoka loved the plant so much he wept as he watched it leave.
This tree was a fig tree, scientists now call Ficus Religiosa. As its name suggests the history of such devotion to this tree goes back thousands of years.
I am reminded of the poem by American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. ‘Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree. The Village Smithy Stands. A smith, a mighty man is he. With large and sinewy hands.’ This is a wonderful way to describe how man and tree are linked, it brings together a physical connection and the cycle of life.
England of course has long been associated throughout history and folklore with one particular tree, The Mighty English Oak. Druids would worship in oak groves, couples would marry under their branches. The Yule log was originally cut from oak and decorated with holly and mistletoe. The Acorn was used for good luck and good health and carried by people in charms.
Oak timber was used to build houses and great ships. Oak barrels were used for storing wine and even growths on its trunk known as oak galls were used to produce ink. In recent years the oak is to be found on our coins, as emblems for companies and of course not forgetting all those pubs called ‘The Royal Oak’.
I remember my Gran quoting the old wives tale:-
If the oak before ash
Then we’ll only have a splash.
If the ash before oak,
Then we’ll surely have a soak.
Amazingly Oak Trees can live for 1000 years, just imagine the stories they could share. Charles II was said to have hidden up one to escape the Roundheads and my personal favourite oak tree is the great oak of Sherwood Forest and its association with Robin Hood and his merry men, you can't get more steeped in folklore than that.
(for more information on oaks visit www.historic-uk.com)
On a more fundamental level, trees contribute to our environment by providing oxygen, are a source of food for wildlife and improve air quality amongst many many other things.
We enjoyed a picnic beneath a wonderful oak tree a few days ago. As I lay there looking up at the branches gently swaying and the leaves rustling in the breeze, I watched our grandson running through the long grass laughing and for that brief moment I thought it actually doesn’t get much better than this.
There are so many stories and poems about our wonderful trees and the connection between us, but I think I might just pop out again and enjoy a meander through the wood. I might even hug a tree just for the pleasure of it!
Watch A Walk through the Woods on our Youtube channel now.
Bye for now
Comments