forest bathing, forest, spa, meditation

Sedona is a red-rocked marvel, renowned for its restorative powers. The Shinrin-yoku service at L’Auberge also takes guests through the Coconino Forest, and gives each participant a nature journal to put thoughts and observations on paper, inciting recollection later in life, when the experience is revisited.

Led by herbalist Nathaniel Whitmore, this trek through the forested Pennsylvanian Poconos lakes and mountains connects guests with some of the country’s most stunning natural contrast.

This spa offers numerous 90-minute immersions around its wooded property; the Earthfit Endurance Hike is a faster-paced version of Shinrin-yoku that aims to improve cardiovascular strength. Guests can also opt to run through the course for even more of a workout. The purest forest-bathing option is the Deep Healing Woods Meditation, while the Deep Healing Woods Yoga option combines Shinrin-yoku with other meditative exercises.

There are a couple things to clear up about forest bathing. First of all, it doesn’t involve actual <a href=/articles/2012/08/revival-of-the-bathhouse>bathing</a>. Second, it requires leaving the spa altogether.Forest bathing is a traditional Japanese ritual—otherwise known as Shinrin-yoku—that takes participants on a short, sensory stroll through a forest. (A similar Korean practice exists, called Sanlimyok.) The mind focuses on the sights, smells, and sounds, and the benefits are plentiful; It produces a hormone that helps prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and more.Also, by breathing in the essential oils produced by trees (known as phytoncides), forest bathers can reduce stress, anxiety, depression, anger, and restlessness. Immunity is heightened; one <a href=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16873099 target=_blank>2006 study</a> states that phytoncide exposure significantly increases anti-cancer protein production. Most people can speak firsthand to nature’s ability to calm the nerves, and Shinrin-yoku leans heavily into that phenomenon by surrounding bathers with dense woods.The practice is fairly simple: Put away your daily distractions, whether they’re in your head, your home, your inbox, or your phone. Notice how many organisms exist in this small space such as trees, <a href=/articles/2015/05/the-zen-of-flower-arranging>flowers</a>, moss, birds, fish. The sounds and smells produced by wildlife, dirt, water, and air are far more stimulating than a typical commute, and more complex than the steady drip of <a href=/articles/2014/11/whats-in-your-coffee>morning coffee</a>.Some spas are adding forest bathing to the list of offerings. Having a guide can ensure that you visit the most spectacular and stimulating nooks of the woods (without using your phone to navigate), and these experts know when to point out something worth your focus, as well as when to let silence play its part. It's like yoga or cycling, in that you can certainly do it on your own, but having an expert at the helm allows you to focus on the results, and will heighten the experience.Here, three to try:

The forest bathing trend is about to take off

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