Bonnie Eisner
Laurie Klumner, a resident of the Upper West Side, is awfully good at meditating, she told the West Side Rag in a recent interview. At the end of her yoga class, when she should have been focusing on her breathing, she was instead thinking about her to-do list.
Then, during the pandemic, she found a way to calm her busy mind: forest bathing.
There’s no water and no nudity (at least not required) in this hippie-sounding activity. The term is instead a translation shinrin-yoku, a science-based practice that emerged in Japan in the flamboyant 1980s as a balm for burnout and a way to preserve and protect national forests. It has also been proven to be good for your health
The concept sounds simple: slow down and spend time in nature. But that can be hard to do, especially for busy New Yorkers who have limited access to natural landscapes, let alone forests. This is where Klumner can help.
Laid off her job as a massage therapist and esthetician during the COVID-19 lockdown, she became a certified forest therapy guide and now runs forest baths in Riverside and Central Parks. Her the next one is on Wednesday, May 22, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m in Riverside Park. Offered by the Riverside Park Conservancy’s Summer on the Hudson series, it’s free; reservations are encouraged but not required. The group will meet in the park at the River Run site on West 82nd Street.
Klumner begins her forest bathing events with a guided meditation to help people awaken to their feelings for the environment. Her goal, she says, is to get people to be present, at least for a moment, ideally for two hours, to immerse themselves in the natural environment. The rest of the experience is a series of “invitations” to explore different areas in the park. From the beginning, Klumner asks people to consider the history and evolution of Manhattan, such as the bands in the rocks carved when glaciers advanced on the island thousands of years ago. “It’s a little bit of time travel without scientific study,” she said.
During short walks, she encourages people not only to stop and smell the plants, but also to touch them. “It’s about slowing down to notice all the details,” she said. She added that she’s really just trying to get people to stop thinking about their phones and their to-do lists, which she knows causes difficulties.
Another aspect of forest bathing, Klumner said, is contemplating the memories and feelings that nature evokes. Klumner invites people to reflect on how they feel in different settings. Some people may be comfortable among dense trees; others may be concerned about such an environment and prefer an open field.
Some events can trigger childhood memories. She invited people to lie down on the grass and look at the clouds. “People were giggling,” she said. “They were like, ‘I haven’t done that since I was a kid.'”
Science shows that this immersion in nature and letting go of inhibitions is healthy. Researchers have documented that forest bathing boosts immunity, lowers blood pressure, and improves people’s mood and mind. Some of the benefits stem from biochemistry. Trees emit not only oxygen, but also phytoncides, or woody essential oils, which protect against infections. Inhaling these chemical compounds has been shown to strengthen the immune system of humans. Even colors and sounds such as birdsong and flowing water found in forests and nature soothe the mind and body.
“I tell people, the forest provides therapy,” Klumner said.
She ends her walks with a treat of homemade herbal tea—no fancy ritual, just poured from a thermos into Dixie cups. “I think everyone ends up feeling better and closer and wanting to help more, protect the land, protect the park,” she said. “It’s a really good result for me.”
Klumner, who has returned to her role as a massage therapist and esthetician, said that bathing in the forest changed her life. She has more patience with people and meditates regularly. “The claim that it helps you with your daily challenges has never made sense to me before,” she said. “But now that I practice it very, very often, I think breathing and slowing down have really helped me cope with life’s challenges.”
In addition to the event on May 22, Klumner will lead forest swimming experience for Riverside Park Conservancy in June, September and October. She also leads walks in Central Park for JCC Manhattan and at YMCA Camp Hi-Rock in Berkshire.
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