🌲 Forest Bathing for Families: How Slowing Down Can Build Stronger Minds and Stronger Bonds

🌲 Forest Bathing for Families: How Slowing Down Can Build Stronger Minds and Stronger Bonds

A few years ago, I came across the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku or forest bathing and it stuck with me. Not because I’m some peaceful monk hiking barefoot through the woods, but because it’s simple, science-backed, and something every family can do.

I even teach it in my Allied Health & Medicine course at the high school where I work. During our mental health unit, I introduce students to the concept of forest bathing. At first, they laugh at the name. Then we talk about the science. And every single semester, it clicks. It resonates.

Because it’s not about hiking.
It’s not about exercise.
It’s about slowing down and reconnecting.

And in a world where even our kids are overbooked, overstimulated, and under-connected to nature, it’s exactly what many of us need.

🧠 What Forest Bathing Actually Does (According to Science)

This isn’t just a wellness trend. Research in Japan and the U.S. shows forest bathing:

• Lowers stress hormones like cortisol
• Boosts immune response through phytoncides (compounds trees release)
• Reduces anxiety and depression
• Improves focus and emotional regulation, especially in kids
• Helps both parents and children reset, re-center, and reconnect

I’ve seen it with my students. I’ve felt it myself. And I’ve experienced it with my kids just by taking the time to step into a patch of trees and pause.

👨👧👦 How Families Can Practice Forest Bathing (Yes, Even with Wild Kids)

Let’s be real. I’ve got kids, a coaching schedule, and a lot going on. We don’t always have time to pack up and head deep into the woods. That’s the beauty of forest bathing; it doesn’t require a long hike or remote mountain.

It just takes intentionality. Here's how to do it:

1. Pick a Green Space, Any Green Space

It could be your local park, the tree line behind a soccer field, or that tiny trail off the neighborhood road. Nature doesn’t need to be far.

2. Put the Phone Away

Leave it in the car or on silent. You don’t need to document this. You need to experience it.

3. Engage the Senses

Ask your kids what they hear. What they smell. Can they feel the temperature difference under the trees? Can they spot different shades of green?

4. Don’t Rush It

This isn’t about burning calories. It’s about being present. 15 minutes is a great start. 30 minutes is golden.

5. Reflect (Just a Little)

Back at the car or during the walk home, ask:
“What was your favorite thing?”
“How did it make you feel?”
Kids might surprise you with their answers.

🌿 Why I Teach This and Why It Matters for Families

In my classroom, I talk a lot about stress, mental health, and the nervous system. When we get into forest bathing, it always surprises my students how something so simple can be so powerful.

That’s the point.
It’s simple and it works.

I’ve brought the same concept home to my own family. Whether it’s exploring trails after a hockey game, wandering around our local parks, or just sitting near the trees in silence, I’ve watched how these moments reset my kids and myself.

As parents, we need tools that help us be present, not just productive. Forest bathing gives us that reset button, and it helps us model something powerful for our children:
It’s okay to slow down.
It’s okay to just be in nature.
It’s okay to make space for peace.

🧭 What This Has to Do with EverTrail Co.™

EverTrail Co.™ isn’t just about cool shirts or trail-ready gear. It’s about creating a movement, one where families say yes to the little moments. The free adventures. The mindful pauses.

Forest bathing fits that mission perfectly.
It’s microadventure meets mindfulness.

You don’t need a packed itinerary.
You don’t need to go viral.
You just need to go outside and be there with your kids, with yourself, with nature.

That’s the adventure.

🏕️ Final Thought

Forest bathing might sound like a trend, but it’s actually an ancient rhythm we’re wired for.

So whether you're a dad with a full plate, a mom managing it all, or a family trying to reconnect, try stepping into the trees, not to hike, not to rush, but just to feel.

You might come out calmer.
More connected.
More grounded.

And you might just give your kids the same gift, too.

Adventure Anywhere. Even here. Even now.
—EverTrail Co.™