Phone off, look at leaves: How to turn your bushwalk into a forest bathe

If, like me, you enjoy the physicality of a rigorous hike or getting your daily step count in the great outdoors, mindfulness coach Kate James suggests applying some of the principles of forest bathing to your fitness pursuits.

“I walk in nature every morning and start with some mindful walking, feeling my feet on the ground and noticing my senses – what I can see, the sounds around me, the air on my skin and the way movement feels,” says James, author of Change Your Thinking To Change Your Life.

“Then I increase the pace because I need the exercise.”

Here are some more ways you can bring a bit of forest bathing to your next nature walk:

Stop along the way

While traditional forest bathing sees you walk super slowly, there are still things you can do to mentally slow down on a hike.

“If you don’t want to stop your energetic walking, you could walk to a landmark and just sit for 15 minutes and not do anything,” D’Appio suggests.

“Don’t meditate or play music or re-attune your chakras – just sit there, be in nature and see what happens.”

Look for broader benefits

Try not to put too much pressure on a nature walk to ease all of your stresses.

“For me, when I’m connecting with nature, I’m looking for that greater sense of perspective, to immerse myself in the wonder of nature and remember that life is not just news stories and Instagram feeds,” James says.

“I’m reminded that the pace of nature is cyclical and slower than my busy mind sometimes goes.”

Welcome any revelations

If you don’t emerge from the bush feeling all Hakuna Matata, all is not lost.

“Potentially [the walk] has been quite effective because you’ve become aware that you’re feeling frazzled or frustrated and potentially you need to do something about that, whether it’s through rest or taking things slower,” suggests Mary Spillane, clinical psychologist from the Headspace app.

“It’s important to be realistic about what can be achieved. Mindfulness isn’t about walking into nature and clearing your mind – sometimes your mind is constantly drifting, and if you notice that, you’re doing mindfulness.”

Silence your phone … and your friends

If you really want to enhance your logged off time, then naturally D’Appio suggests switching off phone notifications and introducing quiet spells with your walking buddy.

“If you walk with a friend and have a conversation, your body often goes into this automatic walking mode and you don’t really notice what’s going on around because you’re focused on the conversation,” he points out.

“Maybe you could suggest spending five minutes walking quietly and then talk about what you’ve both noticed.”

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Do it locally

While soaking up awe-inspiring natural wonders can be lovely, Spillane says that sampling your local landscape offers reduced travel time and more opportunity to get into nature regularly.

“There’s nothing to suggest that you need to go to the most spectacular location to reap the benefits of mindfulness,” she says.

“We live in a world where we are chronically disconnected from ‘self’ … but there are less of those distractions in nature. It can help ground us in the present moment [through tuning into] our senses.”

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