Nature Calls

Could the cure for burnout be as simple as a walk in the woods?MARISA MELTZER finds zen in the most unlikely of places.

Next month, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, will unveil a Back to Nature Garden at the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual Chelsea Flower Show in London. The showpiece, which she codesigned, is meant to “build on Her Royal Highness’s passion for the outdoors and the proven benefits that nature has on physical and mental health,” according to the official statement from Buckingham Palace. One of Middleton’s collaborators, landscape architect Adam White, has shared that the duchess drew inspiration for the woodland space from the Japanese tradition of forest bathing.

Known as shinrin-yoku in Japanese, forest bathing is the act of absorbing nature through all five senses. Despite sounding like a Portlandia sketch, the practice has deep roots as a method for combating stress. The term was coined in the ’80s, when Japan’s government, concerned that its deskbound workers had divorced themselves entirely from nature, launched a campaign encouraging citizens to get outside. Communing with the environment was, and still is, considered a form of preventive health care. Studies have shown that a walk in the woods can reduce anxiety and depression, lower blood pressure, and boost the immune system.

But what originated as a relatively simple, and free, act is now a commodified wellness trend. Forest bathing appears on a growing number of resort spa menus. And in cities like New York and L.A., certified forest therapy guides provide expert sessions at a cost. Even the duchess’s garden is part of a ticketed exhibit that will most likely sell out.