Tips for Forest Bathing along the Mississippi River

 

By Bertie Cowen, Editor, Effortless Outdoors

Mississippi River back channel. There are small islands coming out from river and some fallen trees around it. It is sunny but the day is turning into the evening.

Did you know that a walk in the woods is scientifically proven to reduce stress and improve mental health? Specifically, it can slow your pulse, reduce blood pressure and curb anxiety levels.

In Japan, the health benefits of nature walks have been recognized for centuries. There, they call it shinrin-yoku, which roughly translates as ‘forest bathing’. It’s more than just recreation; it’s considered to be a valuable physical and mental health therapy. So much so, that Japan has several designated shinrin-yoku forests.

Simply put, it’s a blend of exercise and meditation where you intentionally set out to immerse yourself in the forest environment. 

Here are 8 simple tips to help you get started. These tips are merely suggestions to help you park the stresses and strains of your life at the edge of the forest and interact with nature in a deeper way than just passing through it. By intentionally focusing on the natural world, our minds can find inner calm.

Mississippi River during the winter. The river is a crystal blue from the clear sky with snow all around the trees and vegetation that is no longer there.

Use All Your Senses

Deliberately set out to see, touch, hear and smell. If you have any knowledge of foraging, try to bring taste into the equation (but don’t eat anything poisonous!). You may well do these things naturally anyway, but you’d be surprised how much more you will get out of it by very consciously opening yourself up to the sensations.

Komorebi

This is a Japanese word that doesn’t have an easy English translation. But it refers to the way the light filters through the trees. Pay special attention to this. It’s ever changing, beautiful, and should help keep yourself present in the forest.

Wildlife

Don’t just notice the wildlife. Try to observe how they interact with their environment, how they move, how they are comfortable with their surroundings.

The Forest Rhythm

Stop. Plant your feet firmly on the ground. Breathe slowly and deeply and let yourself feel immersed in the forest.

Speak To The Trees & The Plants

Speaking to the trees and the plants, telling them what you observe, can be a wonderful way of forcing yourself to notice and vocalize details that may ordinarily pass you by. What will they tell you if you stop to listen?

Sit A While

Find somewhere comfortable and just sit for 20 minutes. You’d be amazed at how much things can change in 20 minutes. And if you sit in the same place every time, you will become even more connected to the seasons, too.

Feel The Forest

As you get deeper and deeper into your experience, keep breathing, keep observing… The more you do this, the more likely you are to feel a connection with the forest.

Transition Slowly

Take some time after your experience before moving back into your normal life. With no sharp jolts back to reality, you should find that the peace and tranquility stays with you for longer.

A trail along the Mississippi River. The leaves are falling off the trees and are turning yellow.

Where To Go Forest Bathing

Fortunately, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area does not lack forest trails! Here’s a few to help get you started. Let us know where your favorite hiking trails are!

Winchell Trail

A 5-mile trail along the west bank of the Mississippi between Franklin Avenue South and East 44th Street. It’s a there-and-back again trail but you don’t have to start at the beginning as it has plenty of places you can get on or off the trail.

Fort Snelling State Park

Right at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Minnesota, Fort Snelling State Park offers 18 miles of trails. Try the Pike Island Loop. It’s quite heavily trafficked but you should get some solitude if you pick the right time.

Crosby Farm Regional Park

Popular but tranquil, Crosby Farm is mostly a floodplain forest on the opposite side of the river from Fort Snelling State Park. It’s got plenty of paths to choose from and has a great reputation for attracting birds in the spring and fall.

Head Over To An Island 

Possibly one of the best ways to find a quiet corner of nature just to yourself! Undeveloped, home to an abundance of flora and fauna and only accessible by boat... what’s not to like! Here’s some excellent suggestions to help you plan.

 
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