Back To Nature

Forest Bathing For Heath

Plein air painting and forest bathing share in the benefits of nature. (Tom Caldwell Photo)

The trees are drawing me near
I've got to find out why
Those gentle voices I hear
Explain it all with a sigh

— Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Tuesday) by Justin Hayward, The Moody Blues

Now back from an annual retreat in upstate New York, I feel ready to resume life in the “real world” for another year while recognizing that the real world is the one I just left behind.

Getting away allowed me to take up the paint brush for the first time in more than a year, and also gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in “forest bathing” or, as the Japanese call it, Shinrin Yoku. Last year, I experienced forest bathing on a small scale, but this year, I participated in the full three-hour walk through woods and streams, led by June Leo-Randazzo, a certified forest therapy guide.