In a fast pace world full of pressures and social constraints, Japan is a densely populated, urban society with limited outdoor activities. Concerns about the environment, natural disasters, and socio-economic issues have helped to cultivate specific activities for health in Japanese culture. One of them being Shinrin- yoku, also known as Forest Bathing.
The origins of forest bathing started in Japan during the 1980’s and has become a cornerstone of preventive health care and healing in Japanese medicine. Scientific studies have shown that natural environments can have remarkable benefits for human health, such as promoting positive emotions, as well as having heightened physical and mental energy. This is so popular in Japan that they have 48 official Forest Therapy trails, designated for shinrin-yoku by Japan’s Forestry Agency.
As shinrin-yoku is the practice of mindfulness it’s important to remember guidelines for a more successful experience. This is a process; prepping for the best outcome is important. Unplug and leave behind all electronics, anything that can be a distraction to yourself. Leave behind your expectations, forest bathing is about the journey and everyone experiences it differently. Slow down and forget about the time, come into the present moment. This is a time to reconnect with nature, a time to heal and rebalance your body.
In my design, I wanted to integrate our connection with nature. I decided that using a Japanese style print color scheme utilizing natural colors would best make this connection. The two themes I really worked on were the origins of shinrin-yoku, and our connection to nature as a whole. This project was especially fun to research by doing a forest bathing group and experiencing something first hand to develop the design in my process.
