Forest Bathing: The Rejuvenating Practice of Shinrin Yoku

by Hector Garcia, Francesc Miralles, Kymm Coveney (Translator)

Overview

Shinrin Yoku: "taking in the forest atmosphere," the medicine of simply being in the forest, "forest bathing."

This book offers guidelines for finding peace and replenishment in any space —from turning off your phone to seeking the irregularities in nature, which in turn can make us less critical of ourselves. It offers tips not only on being fully present and mindful while in the forest, but also on how to tap into that mindfulness at home—even if home is the busiest and most crowded of cities.

Forest Bathing explains the traditional Japanese concepts that help readers understand and share in the benefits of the Japanese approach to forest bathing—a cornerstone of healing and health care in Japan. These concepts include:

• Yugen: Our living experience of the world around us that is so profound as to be beyond expression
• Komorebi: The interplay of leaves and sunlight
• Wabi sabi: Rejoicing in imperfection and impermanence

From the healing properties of phytoncides (self-protective compounds emitted by plants) to the ways we can benefit from what forest spaces can teach us, this book discusses the history, science and philosophy behind this age-old therapeutic practice. Examples from the ancient Celts to Henry David Thoreau remind us of the ties between humankind and the natural world—ties that have become more and more elusive to Westerners.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9784805316009
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	06/02/2020
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	666,967
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Francesc Miralles is a lecturer and award-winning author of bestselling books in the area of mind-body-spirit. Born in Barcelona, he studied journalism, English literature and German philology, and has worked as a translator, editor, art therapist and musician. His novel Love in Lowercase has been translated into 28 languages. Along with Hector Garcia, he is the author of the bestselling Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.

Hector Garcia was born in Spain and worked at CERN in Switzerland before moving to Japan, his home of more than 15 years. In Japan he developed voice recognition software and the technology for young Silicon Valley companies to enter the Japanese market. His popular blog kirainet.com led to his internationally successful book A Geek In Japan. Along with Francesc Miralles, he is the author of the bestselling Ikigai: the Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life.

Kymm Coveney was born in Boston, earned a BA in Modern English and Spanish Literature (Wheaton College, Massachusetts) in 1981, and has lived in Spain since the 1982 World Cup. Co-host of Barcelona's multilingual poetry recital series, PoemameBCN, she is a freelance writer and translator, as well as habitual translation slam moderator for MET (Mediterranean Editors and Translators). Flash fiction, poems and translations can be found online through betterlies.blogspot.com. She tweets mostly other people's poems @KymmInBarcelona.

Table of Contents

A Green Twig in Your Heart 7

What is Shinrin-yoku? 12

Part 1 Paradise Lost 20

Our Disconnect with Nature 22

Stress in the City 26

Blue Zones, Green Cities 31

Part 2 Return to the Garden of Eden 38

The Bodhi Tree 40

Hanasaka Jiisan. The Old Man Who Made the Dead Trees Blossom 44

The Sages of the Bamboo Grove 48

Trees of the Celtic Forest 51

Thoreau's Adventure 57

Part 3 The Science of Shinrin-Yoku 62

What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger 64

The Healing Powers of Phytoncides 69

Part 4 The Philosophy of Shinrin-Yoku 82

Shinto Spirits 84

Yugen 94

Komorebi 98

Wabi-sabi 102

Part 5 The Practice of Shinrin-Yoku 108

Return to the Forest 110

The 5 Steps of Shinrin-yoku 120

Mindfulness in the Outdoors 126

Part 6 Shinrin-Yoku at Home 132

A Green Home 134

The Sounds of Nature 142

A Leaf from the Forest in Your Cup 147

Epilogue 152

The 10 Principles of Shinrin-yoku for Everyday Living

Bibliography 154

Acknowledgements

Editorial Reviews

"[A] fascinating book…If you're looking for something inspiring and applicable to read that will leave you feeling eager to connect with the plants, then check out this book!" — Rachael Cohen, author of Infinite Succulent

"Forest Bathing ties Japanese culture to the world while simultaneously showing us what is so unique about Japanese philosophy." —Books & Bao

"I do feel this is a superb book, and one that I doubt will reach my bookshelf for some considerable time as I will keep reading it. So I do recommend that all acquire it!" —Shakkei, The Journal of the Japanese Garden Society of the UK

From the Publisher