Healing With Tree Qi: Part 2

The Body Benefits

In Japan, a stroll or rest in the woods is a revered medicinal practice. Shinrin yoku, or forest bathing, may be prescribed to harmonize imbalances within the body or dissonance in one’s life.
 
Research has shown that connecting with trees renders physiological changes in the body. Through this connection, people also notice a calming shift in their mind activity and their emotional experience.
 
Primarily, presence with trees soothes the nervous system. This ease holistically resonates through our thought habits and perceptions, our emotions, our behaviors, and our physical bodies. Function and flow within the body vitalizes. Internal harmony means the body systems can carry out their processes without having to accommodate excessive interference. The effect is regulated blood pressure, cortisol levels, and likely happiness.
 
Moreover, trees filter particles and cleanse the air, offering us a great source for oxygenating our cells. Long-term cumulative benefit has the potential to re-set the nervous system response. The replenishing experience of relaxing with nature and pausing within natural surroundings can influence how we schedule our day, can awaken enthusiasm for re-igniting the “bathing” sensations, and significantly impact our lifestyle, our outlook, even our non-negotiable priorities.
 
Ponder the overall implications for yourself personally. How might pausing with a tree, perhaps with a sense of wonder or appreciation, influence your body, your relationships, your mood, and your choices?
 
For a global culture that is growing increasingly through the efficient communication and advantages of technology, immersion in nature is a fundamental ingredient for our systemic and psychological balance. Engaging with trees returns us to our roots: a foundation that enables us to grow, reach and pursue, and express. By opening our senses on a regular basis, we “plug-in” and re-charge, energetically and cognitively validating the intercommunication/inter-nourishing aspect of the eco-system. This connection time naturally trains the sensitivity of our awareness, and the suppleness of our internal-regulation, affirming for our whole being, the support of the elements and the system within which we can thrive.

​​​Jen Jorgensen