A Japanese mindfulness practice called “forest bathing” has become a hot new trend on the Route 1 corridor.

Developed in the 1980s, the technique known as shinrin-yoku involves spending time in nature, often in a group or with a guide, focusing on sensory engagement: listening to birds and insects, touching the ground, smelling flowers and even tasting the air.

Studies have found it leads to a decrease in blood pressure and stress hormones, possibly due to organic compounds known as phytoncides released by plants.

A Silver Spring company called Raindancer Healing Arts regularly offers guided forest bathing tours at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and the National Arboretum. Nature Forward (formerly the Audubon Naturalist Society) has also offered forest bathing tours at Tanglewood Park in Riverdale Park.

The University of Maryland also offers training sessions for students in its public health program in a dense forested area of campus, while the group Defensores de La Cuenca has offered forest bathing tours in Spanish and English at Hyattsville’s Driskell Park.

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