"The Power of a Good Walk" for VIE August 2023
Suzanne Pollak
“Another cultural connection to nature that I read about and incorporated in a way is the Japanese custom of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, an eco-therapy that emerged in the 1980s designed to encourage people to reconnect to and protect the country’s forest. For me, that translated into being more observant of nature that surrounds me in my coastal ecosystem, cultivating quiet, contemplative time as I walked along the vast vista of the water under expansive skies. My area may not have forests to stroll through daily, but I could still bathe in nature and absorb the therapeutic benefits to mind and body.
“Although walking has been a formative aspect of my life and part of my routine for a long time, implanting these customs from other countries has given new meaning to my daily practice.…”