Richard Louv once coined the expressing “Nature Deficit Disorder”, arising from not spending enough time in Nature and proposed a treatment – “Vitamin N” – a dose of Nature. In Japanese research there have been discoveries showing positive chemical changes in the human body in relation to the immune system and a settling of inflammation when practising “forest bathing”, which consists of spending some time in a forest.
I like those ideas and so, last week, on a sunny day, we took a trip into the Limousin, found a nice forest, and had a walk.
Do you do that from time to time? I thoroughly recommend it. I mean, who really cares about the biochemical markers of immunity and inflammation when spending a bit of a day amongst the trees is just such a treat anyway? But it’s good to know the benefits are so deep.
Le Monde group has just launched a new publication entitled “Sens et Santé” – I like how French words often have several meanings all at once – “Sens” can mean “sense” or “meaning” but also “direction” (“santé” is health). One of the larger, beautifully illustrated articles in the inaugural issue focuses on “forest bathing”, describing how you can take time to become aware of the sounds, the sights, the smells, the feel of the trunks of the trees, and even, if you are so disposed, to spend a little time meditating.
Of course, I wouldn’t go without my camera, but that’s just my personally favourite way of raising my level of awareness. I notice more when I have a camera in my hand and an intention to take photos.
Look at this particular tree. I posted about a strange shaped tree a few months back, wondering what had happened in its life to bring about its peculiar shape. Well, here’s another one to stop me in my tracks and get me wondering….what on earth happened here?
And immediately another thought pops up – what resilience! What an incredible power to overcome what looks like it could have been a fatal event, to grow again, not just a new trunk, but six of them! Wow! There’s an inspiration!
Heroes Not Zombies 
Thank you for your post, I enjoyed reading it, and actually am going to a walking festival for the Easter weekend where there are walks designed for all types of folk and there is in fact a walk ‘Forest Bathing’. So having recently learnt about the term I really enjoyed seeing your post! Fiona
[…] the Japanese art of forest bathing, to Richard Louv’s claim that we are suffering from “Nature-deficit disorder” […]
[…] Later I discovered that it wasn’t just forests which had such positive health benefits. Richard Louv, in “The Nature Principle” describes many and recommends thinking of time in natural environments as supplying us with “Vitamin N” (or “vitamin Nature”). He even claimed that an insufficient amount of time spent outside leads to “NDD” – or “Nature Deficit Disorder“! […]