And a brand new painting this morning. Painted with watercolours and ‘Pale Gold’ Schmincke Aqua Bronze for all the fern fronds. And this is a scan so it doesn’t quite capture all the shine.
Thankfully it’s a lot cooler here this morning (for now). And I think I’ve painted such an autumnal picture because it feels very much like that is where we are at.
Leaves dropping everywhere (I know that’s the heat), so many plants gone to seed, a change in the colours. Our driveway is full of horse chestnut leaves. The donkeys coats seem to have doubled in thickness in the last week. I swear they only have about 4 weeks between losing winter coats and growing new ones.
I’m a little unsure when I’m going to have another new painting because I’ve really got to spend the next week just working on the ‘samcannonart’ place. It’s nearly got all my small framed prints on it now. But none of my larger or older prints. I think maybe it’ll have to go live without the older ones as that’s going to take me so long. It’s all too much really.
I’m going to work so hard though, accompanied by ‘The Book Club’ podcast which has been so enjoyable to listen to this summer.
Have you discovered any exciting new podcasts? I’d love to hear about them if you have. The one about the ‘Salt Path’ was fascinating too.
A Japanese immunologist spent two decades studying what happens inside the human body when we spend time among trees. The answer was more powerful than expected.
Trees release natural airborne compounds known as phytoncides. When people breathe forest air, some of these chemicals can enter the bloodstream.
Research led by Dr Qing Li found that time in forests was associated with lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline.
Dr Qing Li is currently a clinical professor at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Nippon Medical School Hospital, and is President of the Japanese Society of Forest Medicine.
Some of these immune changes remained measurable for days after participants left the forest.
In one experiment, researchers even released tree oils inside hotel rooms and observed similar effects, suggesting that the chemicals themselves may play a role.
The compounds do not literally hunt stress hormones, and walking in nature is not a cure for disease. Exercise, cleaner air, quiet surroundings and reduced stimulation may all contribute.
But the research suggests forests are doing more than helping us feel calm. Every breath among the trees may be sending chemical signals throughout the body.
The definitive–and by far the most popular–guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness. Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder,
In this beautiful book below –featuring more than 100 colour photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan–Dr. Qing Li, the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer.
Once you’ve discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.
The term shinrin-yoku was coined in 1982 by Tomohide Akiyama, the director of the Forest Agency of Japan at the time. He intended to develop a unique brand identity that would link forest visits to health and wellness-oriented ecotourism. Initially a generic term encouraging people to go into the forest, it was later adopted in the West to designate various activities. “Forest immersion” is also a term to describe the general shinrin-yoku approach.
Dr Li studied the effects of environmental chemicals, stress, and lifestyle on immune function and human health since 1988 in Kagoshima University and Nippon Medical School. He studied at Stanford University from 2001 to 2002 on the topic of anticancer protein, granulysin in human natural killer cells (immune cells). He established the method to measure granulysin in NK cells.
Because of his background, when the Forest Agency of Japan organized the project team in 2004, he was invited as a main member.
It is well known that the immune system, including natural killer (NK) cells, plays an important role in defense against bacteria, viruses, and tumors. It is also well known that stress inhibits immune function. As a common sense, forest immersion may reduce stress. Thus, Dr Li speculated that forest immersion may have a beneficial effect on immune function by reducing stress.
Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in defense against bacteria, viruses, and tumors. Three-day/two-night forest immersion significantly increased human NK activity, numbers of NK cells and percentages of perforin, granzymes A/B(GrA/B), and granulysin (GRN)-positive cells in both males and females. Moreover, the increased NK activity, number of NK cells, and percentages of GRN-, perforin-, and GrA/B-positive cells lasted more than 7 days and even for 30 days in both males and females. It means that forest immersion has a preventive effect on cancers. It is very important in preventive medicine.
Since 2004, forest immersion has been found :
* It boosts immune function, increases anti-cancer proteins, and has a preventive effect on cancers.
* It reduces stress hormones and helps with stress management.
* It suppresses the sympathetic or “fight or flight” system, enhances the parasympathetic or “rest and recover” system, and shows relaxing effects.
* It improves sleep quality and shows a preventive effect on sleep disorders or insomnia.
* It reduces negative emotions, increases positive feelings, and shows a preventive effect on depression.
* It reduces blood pressure and heart rate and shows a preventive effect on hypertension and heart diseases.
* It may apply to rehabilitation medicine.
* Nature immersion in city parks has benefits on human health.
* It has a preventive effect on lifestyle related diseases.
* It showed a preventive effect on COVID-19 by reducing stress and boosting immune function.
How do you forest bathe? 1. Find a spot – There is no one-size-fits-all answer for where to do Shinrin-Yoku. You want to find somewhere that makes you feel safe and at peace, with clear walkways and ideally a variety of plants, sounds and smells to focus your senses. The most important thing is to get out there and give it a go, learn what works best for you.
2. Walk slowly – I recommend walking slowly for beginners, ideally 2 hours to walk 5km, this way you can really tune into the forest environment.
3. Engage your senses – Which birds can you hear singing? Is the wind rustling the leaves in the trees? How does the sunlight filter through the tree canopy? How many different shades of green can you see? Can you smell the phytoncides given off by the trees? Why not place your hands on the trunk of a tree, how does that feel? Breath in a few deep breaths, how does the fresh air taste as it enters your lungs?
4. Take it further – Once you start using your senses you begin to notice more and more, but if you want to take this further why not try a little gentle yoga at the end of your walk, or sit in stillness at your favourite point.
http://www.unature.org, In conversation with Dr Qing Li, 28th January 2025 by Johanna Sorrentino.
heartofenglandforest.org, Experience the benefits of forest bathing, 31st August 2025
Tree Weaver 