The Little Book of Forest Bathing: Discovering the Japanese Art of Self-Care

by Kevin Kotur

Discover the Japanese mindfulness practice of Shinrin-yoku —and the emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits of slowing down and taking in the natural world.

What’s an easy way to lower your blood pressure, combat anxiety and depression, and boost your immune system? Shinrin-yoku. The Little Book of Forest Bathing is all about finding strength, peace, and beauty in your surroundings. Drawing on recent research, Forest Bathing maps out the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits of immersing yourself in natural surroundings. It then goes on to provide a how-to guide to forest bathing, with methods ranging from hiking to traditional meditation to literal tree hugging. Interspersed in these informational tidbits are brilliant photos, lush illustrations, sensual typography, poem excerpts, and forest-related quotes. Forest Bathing is perfect for anyone aspiring to slow down, be more mindful, and connect with something greater.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Self Help, Poetry, Mental Health, Health, Photography

160 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2019

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book was perfect! I’m going to add one picture of me and a couple from the book. I’ll come back to this review later on to add quotes, including my own.











To be continued....

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous, thought-provoking little gem! I’m so glad I came across this through my library. It has inspired me to do a barefoot hike very soon at my nearest park.

Also, I can’t help but wonder why anyone gave this low stars, unless they just hate plants?

[CATHERINE · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was disappointing as it isn't so much about the power of forest bathing, and a return to a connection with nature, as a series of pictures and quotations. It feels like an inspirational poster in book form.

[nevrstopsmilin · Rating 5 out of 5]

bathe in the ambience of the forest

“...nature brings solace in all troubles” anne frank

placing yourself among the serenity of a sea of leaves quiets your mind and helps you find peace.

the act of forest bathing is empowering and can give you a real confidence boost. being at the heart of nature makes you realize the solidity of its force and gives you the feeling that you can take in new challenges.

being one with nature, surrounded by a naturally beautiful ambience, promotes positivity and happiness.

forest bathing is the art of “not doing”. ...forest bathing is finding time to quiet your mind and relax.

regular exposure to natural surroundings is proven to reduce the symptoms of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

“mistakes and pressure are inevitable; the secret to getting past them is to stay calm.” travis bradberry

“the best cure for the body is to quiet the mind.” napoleon bonaparte

in our stressed lives, we tend to harbor a lot of tension in our muscles, particularly around the neck and back area. the calming effect of forest bathing alters the electrical activities in the brain to promote a calmer state of mind, which helps to relax the body.

find an opening in the trees, turn your face to the sky, and feel the sun on your skin.

forest bathing is about getting away from it all and connecting with nature, so try taking a break from technology. leave your gadgets at home or in the car when you next visit the forest and notice how liberated you feel.

stop. be still. reflect.

“i go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” john burroughs

take time out of your busy life to do something for yourself.

[The Story Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so short, but so perfect. I've been in such a funk lately, and this book helped me get out of it (at least for a while). It really encouraged me to get out in nature, and I spent 2-3 hours outside today and feel so much better. I honestly need to do it more often! Seriously re-thinking my work schedule so I can go out in nature for an hour either before work or during my lunch break. It's really soothing.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting this book to have a bit more substance. I thought it'd either be a guide to forest bathing, or a book about the benefits of forest bathing (there are many). The book is full of quotes and images. The quotes were pretty meh, but the images were absolutely beautiful. Seeing as there is still a positive effect on your health when you look at pictures (there are studies on this), I'd still recommend the book, especially if you don't have access to actual forests. I'd suggest buying this as a coffee table book.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Little Book of Forest Bathing is a book that inspires readers to immerse themselves in nature. It's a beautiful little book filled with beautiful quotes and imagery which presented the concept of forest bathing and its benefits in an approachable manner that made me want to give it a try and learn more. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.

[Jelli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice quotes and images and some simple common sense suggestions. Inspiration for folks who many not normally get outside but not as in depth as I was expecting.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely coffee table book. Full of inspirational quotes, and soothing images of nature.

[April Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of forest bathing is something that I'm relatively new to, so I was excited to read this book in the hopes of discovering more about it. Unfortunately, this is a very, very basic guide that's filled with way more photos, poems, and quotes than actual details about forest bathing. I was able to read through all of it in less than 30 minutes.

The Little Book of Forest Bathing is very beautiful and would make an excellent coffee table book or gift for your favorite nature lover. You'll also learn a bit about the mental and physical health benefits of forest bathing (although there's nothing here that you can't find by reading a couple of online articles). Finally, the book does go into greater detail about how to partake of forest bathing, but you'll have to wait until close to the end to get this info. And, again, it wasn't anything I didn't already know.

If you like books filled with inspirational quotes and nature pictures, this is a good choice. If you know absolutely nothing about forest bathing and prefer a book to online research, this will also be suitable. Otherwise, you're not likely to get a whole lot out of this book, aside from appreciating how pretty it is.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

[Jason Muckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Little Book of Forest Bathing," by Andrews McMeel Publishing is a good introduction to the health benefits and Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, or "Forest Bathing," in English. This "little book" outlines recent research that shows forest bathing's ability to lower blood pressure, combat mental illness like depression and anxiety and even boost your immune system.

The book also has a guide to how to forest bathe on your own. It is an invitation to get outdoors and practice being present to all that surrounds you in its splendid environs.

I received this as an eBook from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of the title. I did not receive any compensation from either company. The opinions expressed herein are completely my own.

[Regina Chari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is incredibly beautiful and would make a great gift or coffee table book for anyone who loves nature. I would recommend this book for people who are stuck inside all day without access to nature!

This book doesn't have much actual information in it. It is mostly quotes and poems and although beautiful, isn't actually very helpful if you want to learn about the benefits of forest bathing.

The publisher provided an ARC through Netgalley. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This compact book introduces the reader to the Japanese art of self-care. The premise of this book is that exposure to the forest can help boost our overall well-being. The author offers Forest Bathing techniques for Positive Mental Health, Positive Physical Health as well as deep breathing techniques while in the frost and other ways to bond with nature.

Thank you to the publishers for an ARC of this book.

[Maggie Chatterton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Little Book of Forest Bathing by Andrews McMeel Publishing is a quick guide of the benefits of being part of nature, and how Forest Bathing works. Within this guide is a series of nature related quotes, poems and gorgeous photography of nature. The guide focused a bit too much on the quotes and poems to me, but does provide the basics when it comes to forest bathing.

[CathyMW · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed in the book. I was hoping for some factual information about, and history of forest bathing. It briefly mentioned a number of supposed benefits, with no supporting evidence at all. There were a few paragraphs with how-to suggestions. The vast majority of the book was nature quotes and pictures that would do well as inspirational posters.

[Kieran · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mean... I could have read a sample before getting this on my library app but the loan came through and i flipped through so here we are...

It's really just like someone published a pinterest board of quotes and photos of trees with the odd "meditating outside is good for you" blurb thrown in.

TLDR: go outside

[Alan D.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book about trees, forests and the world that waits for us in them. I felt myself immersed in a spiritual trip with all of the photos and quotes included, although there could have been more of the former. A spiritual journey made book!

[Heather Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Little Book of Forest Bathing would make a nice coffee table book or gift. There were nice pictures and quotes.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a cute, compact and lightweight introduction to forest bathing. I loved the quotes and photos in it, but wished it had a bit more information.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

More quotes and imagery than information. This is great for a quick go through. There are books that are more information based. It gets you in the space to be in forest bathing.

[Auroch · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0/5 It's a bit telling that while the title is a definite nod to 'The Little Book of Hygge' and similar self-help/informational books about everyday coping methods used around the world it never directly states that this is a 'how to' book as it isn't. Although there is a brief explanation about what 'forest bathing' is and how it came about in Japan, it quickly veers off into a much lighter and more literal take on the subject via beautiful forest photography intermixed with sprinklings of quotes about nature and brief snapshots of scientific research related to the mental and physical benefits of forest bathing. Aside from those short informational blurbs and few tips for how to start this activity near the end of the book it also reminded me a little of the Twitter/Instagram pseudo-philosophical bubble and got a little 'woo woo homeopathic' in a couple places where it seemed to imply that this activity was a treatment for anxiety/depression. However, despite these nit-picks I did enjoy the general atmosphere of this book as it felt like a small window into nature especially when I was stuck indoors or when weather and distance prevented me from wandering through a real forest.

[Kelly K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can be spiritual like anyone else but a lot of this just felt like a way of telling you the benefits of exercising without letting you know that you're actually exercising. Yes, I enjoy the scenery of a hike much more than the view from any cardio machine at the gym but I still feel good after either of those because I was *gasp* exerting energy! The forest doesn't naturally make the muscles in your neck less stiff, they're less stiff because you're not sitting in a chair, hunched over a screen.
This book was mostly just quotes and pretty pictures. Let's give a hand to trees though for being the most underrated titan of the Earth. Love you, trees. <3

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

to call this a book is a stretch, the "book" is a printed version of an instagram feed of inpirational and motivational quotes and images aka memes. To take a great concept and to reduce it to this state is such a shame. If the person who put together this book had actually decided to put his own opinion and thoughts regarding said quotes it would have been a far more interesting read. I'm surprised it was published before AI was a thing, because it sure does look like AI put it together.

2 stars, because the quotes are great, but they can't shine on their own while being dumped in a one messy pile without thought.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this little book in a cute, out-of-the-way bookstore in Carmel-by-the-Sea. While it was fun to read and I enjoyed the quotations and the pictures, which were beautiful, I was hoping for a little more in-depth guide to forest bathing. Perhaps because it was compiled by a publishing company and does not list a specific author, it comes across as a bit superficial. It’s redeeming grace, however, occurs in its ability to invoke personal memories of moments spent among trees while forest-bathing. That alone is worth the purchase of the book.

[jimtown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book tells us that forest bathing is not the act of bathing in the forest, which may not be all that bad either, but it is soaking up the beauty, sounds or silence of the forest for your good health and state of mind. The photos were sourced online and are very nice. Lots of inspirational quotes. Nice little book that makes you want to put down your phone and get out in the woods.

[Denise]

I am not sure how to rate this. It was short and mostly seemed to be pictures with quotes. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. It just was.

I don't know about this idea of forest bathing. I love trees and nature, but I don't feel particularly uplifted by being near them. Maybe it doesn't work on everyone.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful book

Great photos, lots of quotations. A very tranquil book. The gist of it is, spend some time in the woods walking and sitting. Do not take your electronics. This isn't A scientific book, it is more inspirational. It does have some suggestions on what to do to make it a more meditative experience.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lame. Quotes are good. Just a collection of inspirational posters with pithy stagings. I mean, they are great quotes, but this book is not what it claims to be. No real “evidence” though it claims to have cited it.

Bottom line: go outside and leave the cell phone alone.

[BookDrunkard is on storygraph as bookdrunkard78 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! While I thought there would be a bit more guidance on what it meant to forest bathe, I was not disappointed. However, the poems and reminders to breathe makes me want to purchase! (I borrowed this copy from the library)

[jiji · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this would be like the little book of hygge, but it was basically a PowerPoint with a bunch of pictures and quotes. I think someone took a corporate “self care” training and turned it into a book. Or maybe it was a high school project?