In case you forgot how we act outside

On forest bathing and being outdoorsy

Lisa Simpson being a nature girlie. Disney+

I wouldn’t say I come from an outdoorsy household. Growing up, we were outside, but not in an extreme way. As a kid in Massachusetts, I climbed trees and hung upside down on the jungle gym, rolled around in the grass until I itched, let myself get stung by bees, picked my mosquito bite scabs and watched the blood trickle out. During family cookouts down the Cape, I collected rocks and clam shells in a plastic pail, proudly and desperately showing the adults my salty haul. One snow day, my cousin Tiffany and I got on a sled and hurled ourselves down the tallest hill we could find; we cleared the curb, shot across the street, and jumped over the opposite curb, landing upside down on a neighbor’s front lawn. In California, my sister and I rode bikes and rollerblades around our cul-de-sac and played in the pool on vacation, racing to see who could collect the most diving rings from the bottom. All great memories that I’d recreate in a heartbeat.

But my mom has really bad allergies (she often watched our soccer games from the parking lot, poor thing) and my dad’s go-to joke was that “those girls think camping is staying at a Hilton.” This was unfunny and patently false because I, for one, had actually been camping! In fifth grade I went to Sequoia National Park with my friend Shenan and her family and totally loved it. We swam in a river, slept in a tent and had to lock our food up so bears wouldn’t get to it. One night we heard Yogi himself trying to steal our pic-a-nic basket and it was so scary and thrilling!

There’s a lot to be said about so-called “white people things” like hiking and camping and yeeting your baby across a gorge, but that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I know that I was privileged to have access to certain activities — like a school trip to Lake Arrowhead, or being invited on outdoor adventures with my white friends’ families — and am grateful that my parents always encouraged me to do them, even if we weren’t doing them together. Cut to my early 20s, and this Someecards meme had me in a chokehold. I went through a phase where maybe I convinced myself that it was uncool to love being outside unless I was biking to a bar or lying on the beach or biking to a bar on the beach. But when I really think about it, nature’s always been that girl to me, and I’ve since given her a larger presence in my life. I’ve gone horseback riding, done a trail run, been to adult summer camp and used an outdoor shower. She hasn’t stayed at a Hilton in years!

These days I’m all about a melancholy walk through the park, lying under a tree reading a book, picking flowers and letting bees buzz around me. Since putting Carrie down, it’s more of a challenge — without those obligatory daily walks, I have to physically force myself to go outside, but I always feel better after doing it, even though I’m still a popular snack for mosquitoes.

In mid-July I was invited on a hot girl hiking trip with AllTrails. It’s an app for outdoor tingz like walking, running, hiking, climbing, biking and snow sports. They have a database of more than 300,000 trails with maps, reviews and photos curated by fellow outdoorsy people around the world. I was part of a fabulous group of women traveling to England’s Peak District (about two hours north of London) and was fully prepared to sleep in a tent but delighted to find I’d be sleeping in a proper country mansion.

Along with a pub walk(!), 5-mile hike and tour of Chatsworth House, the itinerary included a 90-minute forest bathing session, so I, an idiot, brought my bikini thinking we were literally bathing in a lake or whatever. Turns out, a forest bath is similar to a sound bath in that you just soak up the vibes, so there was no reason for me to bring a swimsuit or tell the PR rep I was “also down to go naked.”

The AllTrails hot girl hiking crew with Maria Chappell (back row, second from right) after our forest bathing session.

Our forest bathing guide was the incredibly lovely Maria Chappell, who leads in-person and virtual sessions from the UK. Her previous high-powered job left her chronically ill and physically and emotionally drained. After studying transcendental meditation on the west coast of Ireland, Maria took intensive practitioner training and counseling courses and was later certified by Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.

Our group sat in a circle on the grounds of the Makeney Hall Hotel, stretched out on blankets, as Maria explained the origins of forest bathing and led us through prompts that ended up feeling like group therapy. We all had something swirling around in our heads or weighing on our hearts, which felt lighter and less tangled after slowing down a bit and sharing our experiences with each other.

Since the AllTrails trip, I’ve been a lot more mindful about the time I spend outside. I put my bare feet in the grass; feel the sun on my skin; watch the leaves and focus on how they dance in the breeze. There is, of course, a climate crisis, and we only have so much time left to be comfortably outdoorsy (#dark). So, I followed up with Maria for more on the benefits of forest bathing, and how it can help us feel more connected to nature (and ourselves). Keep reading for our convo!

It’s giving Nature Girl, it’s giving Captain Planet, it’s giving that one scene in The Craft.

Britt Stephens, a baby forest bather: Can you give me an overall explanation of what forest bathing is?

Maria Chappell: Forest bathing is inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku. It’s a practice that enables you to slow down and really awaken your senses. The term was coined in the early 1980s; as Japan changed their industry and became very much tech-based, they also noticed a real spike in autoimmune diseases, cancers and stress-related illnesses. The direct translation [of shinrin-yoku] is “forest bathing,” so that's where that terminology has come from.

I'm certified under the ANFT, which is the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. The founder, Amos Clifford, has a background in vision quest and wilderness guiding. What he put together was a three-hour session that's affordable and accessible to lots of different people. Very much inspired from shinrin-yoku, but also looking at the connection that we have with our natural world and ultimately with each other and ourselves, our own true nature. So, that's really the flavor that comes through.

I was actually delighted that AllTrails invited me, because they get people to explore nature, embrace nature and elevate their health in it. [Forest bathing] is not going on a hike — it's just being in nature and soaking in the atmosphere. A lot of people tell me that they feel really alive in themselves, that they're very relaxed, but they feel alive. I get comments like, ‘I've had this issue and I've got real clarity. My head's cleared and I know which way I'm going now.’”

That actually leads into my next question. What are some of the short- and long-term benefits of forest bathing?

MC: So, short-term is that deep relaxation. We don't have very much deep rest in our lives. We're always on the go. We're always bound on time, and deadlines. Ultimately what forest bathing does is significantly reduce cortisone and stress, and normalize blood pressure. There was a study in Switzerland which fascinates me; it was in a hospital, and they realized that recuperation was a lot quicker in people in beds next to a window than those who weren't. When you start reducing your stress and allowing yourself to get that deep rest, your body will automatically be signaled to move over to the parasympathetic nervous system. And when it's in that state, it prompts our own self-healing. It massively helps with digestion, on multiple levels. It's digestion of food, but also digestion of whatever's whirling around in our head. It's multidimensional.

When you're out in nature, all living plants and trees emit an aroma called a phytoncide. When we absorb that, either through breathing it in or absorbing it through our skin, it automatically activates our white blood cells called NK killer cells. And those cells roam around our body looking for stressed out or cancerous cells, and eliminate them. Forest bathing enhances that activity in our own natural immune systems as well.

Long-term; oh, wow. If you're practicing on a regular basis — and this is my personal journey as well — overall you're a lot more calm. You’ve got a lot more focus and clarity. I don't have to think too hard on different situations, the answers just come. They do say creativity and memory can be enhanced, but I’m going through the menopause, so I’ve got some brain fog [laughs] but there are loads of times when I'm sat by a tree and will just have a really beautiful memory; it might be with one of my pets, one of my family members, or scenarios of friends. It enables you to reconnect with the wisdom within you. You haven't got so much going on in your head, so your memory is going to be better. You wake up fresh. You have more joy. Your relationships are easier. And as we know, a lot of it's inside coming out, isn't it?

So, you have got the physiological side but very much for me, it's the emotional and psychological that's been really apparent; the better moods, the joy, the calm, the contentment, feeling more settled.

There’s been a recent movement of rest as resistance, specifically for women of color; the idea that you can fight against capitalism and white supremacy by resting. Personally, I love a nap. Ever since I was a kid, that was just always something that was really encouraged in my family.

But getting outside is harder for some people than others, especially if you live in a really densely populated area and don't have access to private green space. There are also stereotypes about what it means to be someone that's outside all the time. It’s seen as a leisurely thing, when it doesn't really have to be. Something that has sat with me since our session was when you said that forest bathing, and slowing down, can be seen as an active revolution. So, for someone who wants to get started with forest bathing, what are a few tips to keep in mind?

MC: If you're in a fast-paced life, the stiller that you can be, the better. I would always say to somebody, go and have your cup of tea outside in the morning. Don't bring anything with you. Don't bring your phone. And just sit and look around you. If you do that every single day, you will absolutely see massive differences. Especially first thing in the morning, actually listen to how many different bird songs you can hear. They sing at exactly the right tone that soothes our nervous system. Nothing's by chance, is it?

Close your eyelids and switch off that first sense of sight, and notice which other senses comes up for you. Wander out and feel all the different textures. And the biggie, find somewhere that you are really comfortable. So, I quite often say to people, build a little nest in your own garden. Or, find a local park. And even if it's on a bench, doesn't make any odds, but find somewhere where you feel safe and can close your eyes.

Indoors, have a plant that you nourish and share time with. Notice all the differences, notice all the colors. And listen to soundscapes. There's lots of different soundscapes that you can get through Spotify, iTunes, et cetera. Just sitting quietly, closing your eyes, maybe through headphones, you might even put your feet in a bowl of water, and just allow yourself to be carried with those sounds. There's a guy called Gordon Hempton who has made the most natural sounds throughout the world. Some of them are where humans don't really go. It’s just that finite, natural sound.

We were never meant to be so disconnected from earth, I think that's the biggest thing. Just from putting your bare feet on the ground 20 minutes a day, there is a reduction in inflammation and pain relief. Do we have a lot of these illnesses because we are so disconnected? I spent my childhood in bare feet, and how so far away from that I became. Yeah, it's simple. I think what it really is, is going back to where we came from.

Reduce that cortisone, mama! Thank you Maria, and AllTrails!

All photo credit goes to Phil Sproson Photography.

Currently keeping me afloat:

• As if I’d sit here and not include Renaissance. The “Blow” stans have been seen, heard, vindicated! I specifically live for the Cuff It-Energy-Break My Soul-Church Girls run.

• I’m also thoroughly enjoying the new Maggie Rogers album, Surrender. It’s been my favorite to bike around town to, and makes me feel feral and free.

• New adventures with new friends acquired on the aforementioned AllTrails trip: the Cotswolds with Poppy, a cricket match with Miranda, scene-y rooftop cocktails with Priyankaa at Pergola. They are all v lovely and outdoorsy and fun to be around!

• Reading Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters. Danny couldn’t talk more highly about it, and I totally get why. It’s so well-written and eye-opening, funny, sad, messy, flawed, all that. I recommend!