Ep.16 How to Boost Your Vitamin 'N' - Forest Bathing with David Motzenbecker
Nature is where humans have lived for the majority of our existence on Earth. Not surprisingly, then, it is where we evolved to feel our most comfortable, most at home and in balance. We feel that familiarity deep in our bones - the fresh air, the sound of leaves on trees, the beauty of the crystallized frost patterns of frozen water. Immersing ourselves in nature, and getting regular doses of ‘Vitamin “N”,’ is essential for our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. Forest bathing, or Shinrin-Yoku, is the Japanese practice of immersing (or bathing) in a forest with all our senses. It stems from one of the seven principles of zen aesthetics, called shizen, which translates to ‘nature, naturalness’ and which describes how the closer design is to nature, the more pleasing it is. Since the 1970s, forest bathing has been studied by researchers and has supported the health benefits of spending time under the trees. David Motzenbecker is the Founder and Principal of Motz Studio, a Minneapolis-based landscape architecture consultancy with a focus on biophilic and salutogenic design, and a provider of therapeutic forest immersion walks based on the Japanese tradition of Shinrin Yoku, or 'forest bathing'. David is an ANFT-Certified Forest Therapy Guide, Forest Therapy Trail Certification Consultant, and award-winning Landscape Architect with nearly 20 years of design experience. In this episode, David describes this powerful ‘forest medicine,’ resulting in stress reduction, lowered blood pressure, improved immunity and more regulated nervous system function, as explained by this scientific evidence. David also shares how our rhythms and understandings might synchronize with those of the natural world, how we can begin to rebalance, reconnect with our origins simply by ‘bathing’ in the experience. We also speak about the language of nature and what we might learn about ourselves and the natural world through this powerful practice. We can all relate to the calming, refreshing and energizing feelings of being in nature, but what this episode relays is truly that the real secret power of trees can have far more profound impacts on our wellbeing than even science or logic can explain. Love the show? Share this episode with a friend or in your Instagram stories with the tag @theinspiringco and @forestbathingmpls! Remember to subscribe so that all new episodes automatically show up in your feed each week! Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! We’d love to hear what you think about the show! CONNECT WITH DAVID Website: motzstudios.com Instagram: @forestbathingmpls Facebook: @forestbathingmpls ADDITIONAL RESOURCES SHARED BY DAVID BOOKS Any book by Robert Macfarlane (so brilliant!) The Living Mountain - Nan Shepherd Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer The Obstacle is the Way; Ego is the Enemy; and Stillness - Ryan Holiday When the Trees Say Nothing - Thomas Merton Wilderness & The American Mind - Roderick Frazier Nash The Overstory - Richard Powers The Art of Living - Epictetus Meditations - Marcus Aurelius How To Do Nothing - Jenny Odell Forest Bathing - Dr. Qing Li Shinrin Yoku - Yoshifumi Miyazaki Your Guide To Forest Bathing - M. Amos Clifford (founder of ANFT, he trained me) A God Within - Rene DuBos Last Child In The Woods; The Nature Principle; Vitamin N - Richard Louv The Wild Trees - Richard Preston Barkskins - Annie Proulx The World Without Us - Alan Weisman American Canopy - Eric Rutkow Landscape & Memory - Simon Schama The Power of Meaning - Emily Esfahani Smith WEBSITES ANFT - Association Nature and Forest Therapy Guides - Find a Forest Bathing Guide, FAQs, Research, etc. Emergence Magazine - absolutely phenomenal writing on nature/human connection, spirituality Global Wellness Institute - Global perspective on wellness Terrapin Bright Green (Biophilia) - lots of great white papers and resources here Biophilic Cities Network - great info on how to push for greener cities more connected with nature Forest Bathing Finder - as it sounds like ASLA - American Society of Landscape Architects CSLA AAPC - Canadian Society of Landscape Architects CONNECT WITH DANA Find all episodes of The Inspiring Co at: theinspiringco.com, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher Instagram: @theinspiringco For 1:1 intuitive wellness coaching and to access Dana’s FREE meditation library: danareadings.com Also, remember to check out The Inspiring Co’s Conscious Buying Guide - 50+ socially-driven, ethical, environmentally-conscious and wellness-focused brands that we love; a list of our fav his and her fashion, beauty, fitness, home, books...and more!