There’s a particular kind of tired that doesn’t go away with sleep.

The kind that builds up quietly over weeks, where your mind is constantly running even when your body is still, and the smallest things start to feel like too much. If you’ve ever felt that way, you’ll understand why the idea of stepping into a woodland and just… stopping, feels like relief even before you’ve left the house.

My relationship with nature goes back a long time. I was the little girl who was permanently barefoot on the grass, collecting things, noticing things, and feeling completely at home outside in a way that felt entirely natural until the world started suggesting I should probably put some shoes on and stop looking so muddy. I think I understood the benefits of being close to the earth long before I had any words for it, and forest bathing, when I eventually discovered it, felt less like something new and more like being reminded of something I’d always known.

Forest bathing is something our family has been drawn to for years, long before I knew it had a name. We’ve wandered the woodland paths at Speke Hall, the pine-scented trails at Formby, ran with the deers and Dunham Massey, wondered through the grounds at Dartington or taken a stroll on Dartmoor, and every single time, something shifts and the inside noise quietens.

Spring is, to me, the very best time to try forest bathing if you’re a beginner or looking to restart your journey. The forest is waking up, the light is coming back through the branches, and there’s something in the air that already feels like permission to begin again. If you’ve been curious about forest bathing but weren’t sure where to start, this is your sign to head to the trees.

What is Forest Bathing?

Forest bathing is a Japanese practice known as shinrin yoku, which translates roughly as ‘taking in the forest atmosphere.’ It isn’t hiking, exercise, or a nature walk with a destination, it’s the practice of being calm and quiet among the trees, moving slowly, and allowing your senses to do the work to soothe your soul and calm your mind.

While it has gained a lot of visibility through social media in recent years, the practice itself has deep roots in Japanese culture, where it has been studied seriously as a form of eco-therapy since the 1980s. Both adults and children can benefit from it, and you don’t need any equipment, training, or prior experience.

How Forest Bathing Can Help You

There are so many benefits to forest bathing, but here’s three of my favourites:

It reduces anxiety and supports emotional regulation.
As humans, we’re wired to feel comfort in nature, and research consistently reflects this. A 2016 study comparing forest bathing to urban walking found measurable differences in dopamine levels, suggesting the forest environment creates a genuine relaxation response in the body. For highly sensitive people and empaths whose nervous systems are already working overtime, this kind of deep physiological rest can feel like exactly what was needed.

It improves focus and clarity.
The attention restoration theory suggests that time in natural environments helps replenish mental resources. If you’ve been hard at work, studying, or navigating a difficult season emotionally, the forest gives your mind something gentle and ever-changing to rest on, rather than the same familiar stressors.

It relieves fatigue and burnout.
The most restorative approach is also the simplest: meandering without purpose, sitting quietly, or standing still and allowing your surroundings to come to you. There is no destination, no step count to hit, no Instagram angle to find, just pure, quiet nature.

How to Try Forest Bathing for the First Time

You don’t need to travel to a national park or carve out an entire day. Any green space will do: an urban park, a nature reserve, a stretch of suburban woodland or even your back garden. Forests with conifers are thought to be particularly beneficial, possibly because of the phytoncides (natural compounds released by trees) they emit, but the most important thing is simply that you go, and that you slow down when you get there. Regular forest bathers suggest aiming for at least two hours a week, but studies have shown measurable benefits in as little as twenty minutes, so start with whatever feels manageable and build from there. If you can, and it’s safe to, why not do it bare footed as well to really ground yourself with the energy of the earth.

When you arrive:

• Turn off your devices, or at the very least put them away. The goal is to give your senses a chance to reset, and that’s very hard to do with notifications pinging to get your attention.
• Move slowly. There is no correct pace for forest bathing other than slower than you think you need to go.
• Breathe deliberately. Try extending your exhale to roughly twice the length of your inhale, as this simple shift sends a signal to your nervous system that it is safe to relax.
• Stop often. Stand still, close your eyes if it feels right, and notice what you can hear: wind in the leaves, birdsong, your own heartbeat slowing down.
• Use all your senses. What does the air smell like? What textures can you feel underfoot? What colours catch your eye? Spring forests in particular are full of that shade of green that research suggests the human eye finds genuinely soothing.
• Sit quietly if you can. You’ll be surprised what you notice when you stop moving entirely.
• If thoughts drift in, let them pass and bring your attention back to what’s immediately around you.
• Stay as long as feels good, and build up gradually from there.

Crystals to carry with you

This is where I’d love to bring in the crystals, because some stones have a natural affinity with the energy of being outdoors, and carrying them can deepen the experience.

Tree Agate
Tree Agate is one of those stones that feels like it belongs outside. With its branching, plant-like inclusions, it looks like a forest captured in miniature, and its energy reflects that completely. It’s a deeply grounding stone with a soft, steady vibration, particularly supportive if you’re someone who tends to live in their head. Associated with nature connection, calm, and new beginnings, it’s a beautiful companion for spring forest bathing. Hold it in your hand while you walk, or keep it in a pocket and reach for it when you want to feel more present.
To view our Tree Agate products, click here.

Hematite
If you absorb other people’s energy easily or arrive at the forest with a very busy mind, Hematite is a wonderful choice. It’s one of the most grounding stones available, with a dense, metallic quality that has an almost immediate settling effect. Strongly connected to the root chakra, carrying it while you walk barefoot on soil or grass amplifies that sense of being physically anchored to the earth. It’s also a gentle energetic protector, making it a particularly good choice for empaths who want to be open to the experience without feeling over-exposed.
You can view all our Hematite pieces here.

Mookaite
Mookaite is a stone of presence, instinct, and earthed adventure, which makes it a wonderful companion for forest bathing. It’s warm palette of deep reds, yellows, and browns feels very much of the earth, and its energy encourages you to slow down, tune in, and trust what you notice around you. Where some grounding stones settle the mind by quietening it, Mookaite grounds you by bringing you fully into the moment, which is exactly the experience forest bathing is inviting you into.
To view all our Mookaite stones, click here.

Ruby in Fuchsite
Ruby in Fuchsite tends to stop people in their tracks, and with good reason. The deep woodland green of the Fuchsite shot through with vivid Ruby red is visually unlike almost anything else, and its energy is equally distinctive. Fuchsite is deeply connected to nature and emotional healing, while the Ruby element brings warmth and a gentle heart-opening uplift that makes it a particularly good choice if you’re arriving at the forest feeling flat or depleted. Together they create a stone that is both grounding and enlivening, which is really the whole point of forest bathing.
Click here to see our Ruby in Fuchsite range

Why Spring is a Particularly Good Time to Begin

There’s a reason so many people feel a pull towards being outside in spring. The light is changing, the earth is warming, and everything is in the process of becoming something new. Woodlands in spring have a particular quality to them: the birdsong is louder, the green of new leaves is almost luminous, and there’s a freshness in the air that winter simply doesn’t offer. If you’ve had a heavy few months, spring woodland energy can feel like a soothing exhale.

Even twenty minutes among the trees at this time of year can do something for your soul that is genuinely difficult to describe but very easy to feel.

With love, Kate x