I’m drawn to forests… I’m not sure whether it is darkness of the trees, leafy canopy overheard or the sounds and the scents of the forest… but as soon as I step into a forest I feel a sense of calm, as if the wheels start slowing and any tension almost slips away.
There’s often a lot to see in a forest, whether you look at the shrubs and undergrowth or the different tree barks, before you even start on the various birds. It always lightens my heart to see a woodpecker.
I think that it may be that a forest is quieter, softer … and living in an environment where there is constant stream of pings, bleeps and background sounds, then it is calming to be, albeit temporarily, surrounded by gentler sounds… birds singing, leaves rustling.
When I walk in the forest, it feels like I am a world away from the busy-ness and worries of everyday life, it’s like a reset button, a restart. A chance to slow down and take stock of what is there, both inside and outside.
Recently I bought a book about shinrin-yoku. I’m curious to learn more about the impact of the forest on the body and mind. Perhaps I will share my experiences in a later post.
