Forest bathing offers different approach to enjoying Aspen

The sound of quaking aspen leaves rustling in the wind. The way the sunlight falls through conifer branches. The sound of the river over smooth stones. 

These are just some of the things one might notice forest bathing in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Originally created in 1980s Japan as a prescription for overworked businessmen, forest bathing has become a widespread practice with both physical and mental health benefits.

“Feeling connected to nature is not only comforting, it’s empowering too,” said Melanie Choukas-Bradley, who has led forest bathing with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies in the past and will be coming back to the valley to lead walks in June. “We evolved very close to nature. Our separation from it is a very recent phenomenon. It feels very natural to be part of it all.”

Jim Kravitz, director of naturalist programs for ACES who has worked with Choukas-Bradley, said forest bathing is particularly relevant for people living in the Roaring Fork Valley.

“There’s a lot more to being a steward than just knowing the science,” Kravitz said. “And it’s really healthy to have your free space. It’s allowing your brain to do a different thing. There’s also a lot of awe, whatever you’re going through.”

Choukas-Bradley considers forest bathing a “full sensory immersion” in the beauty and awe of nature. 

“Let nature be your superpower,” she said.

As a naturalist and self-proclaimed “failed meditator,” Choukas-Bradley originally read about forest bathing in a magazine article in 2016 and was immediately drawn to the concept.

“I just felt like my whole body smiled,” she said. “I just got it right away. I could feel my blood pressure going down.” 

Studies have shown that forest bathing can lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, in addition to boosting immune systems. Mentally, forest bathing promotes an elevated mood, improved focus and memory, decreased ruminative thinking, better sleep, and boosted imagination and creativity, according to her. 

“​​When you feel that sense of awe, it’s really a life-changing thing,” she said.

When Choukas-Bradley leads forest bathing, she offers participants a series of invitations to focus on different senses. She focuses particularly on smells since scents in nature recall “all kinds of childhood memories.”

At the end of walks, she holds space with tea and poetry, as well as maple candies and walnuts — what she calls “gifts from the trees.”

Even without guided walks, people can participate in forest bathing whenever, wherever. She encourages everyone to find what she calls “a wild home” to visit often and experience through the seasons. 

“People are just so stressed and so anxious,” she said. “Being in nature is a time to let go and let the beauty carry you.”

Kravitz emphasized that forest bathing can be done anywhere someone loves being outdoors, simply by slowing down and taking it all in.

“At the end of it all, everybody is here for nature,” he said. “It’s personal care, and you become more equipped to make the world a better place.”

Choukas-Bradley will be at Toklat from June 21 to 29, leading walks for ACES on June 26 and 27. For more information, visit aspennature.org/activity/forest-bathing-walk.