Watching Berries Ripen
I was charmed a couple of years ago by an article from Hope Jahren about the Norwegian
custom of setting a chair outside and sitting in it to watch berries ripen in the evening sun. Because Norway is the land of the midnight sun and because this event goes on for hours, you'll never see it on prime-time TV or Instagram or TikTok.
The point of this Scandinavian
custom is simply to be, and to breathe in, and to breathe out, while enjoying nature.
“I Just Looking”
I once lost track of my child, very briefly. She was almost
two years old and she simply disappeared from the house. At the time, we lived on a steep property in
the country next to a state forest, and I was a little panicky about finding
her before she got into trouble.
I finally located her in a field to the side of the house, standing very
still and serenely surveying the valley below.
I slowed my breathing, got calm, and gently asked her what she was
doing. Without ever taking her eyes off
the view, she replied, “I just nooking (looking).”
This tiny child was showing me just how important it is to
be in nature, and to find yourself, by getting lost in the outside.
Forest Bathing
Another charming custom, this one from Japan, is called
forest bathing or shinrin-yoku. According the Halie (2017), it involves quietly experiencing nature, in the
woods, if possible. You can sit, stand
or lie down. You can slowly walk around and smell and touch the bark or be
still and listen to the wind in the leaves.
The restorative power of nature is well-documented, so you’re likely to
feel better at the end of forest bathing than at the beginning (more here).
The point of shinrin-yoku is to become centered by immersing
yourself in the sights, sounds, smells and experiences of a calm, natural
setting.
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| Figure 1. Setting my chair in the woods. |
Setting My Chair in the Woods
Here is an exercise I first learned from Peggy Barlett (Emory University and Second Nature) and which I now teach, called "setting my chair in the woods." This activity
helps faculty from across the curriculum teach students about sustainability in all their very different courses. Participants simply take a folding chair outside and sit in it, quietly, not doing
anything, for 10 or more minutes. When they come
back inside, I ask them, what did you see? What did you hear? What did you smell? How did you feel? This exercise is popular because it's relaxing and it shows faculty how to create a oasis of calm for their students. Moreover, it gives faculty and the students with whom they share it, a connection to place, our beautiful campus. Participants therefore gain a reason to engage in sustainability, so the place of campus is available for future generations.
The notion of setting your chair in the woods is that
anyone with access to nature can create an oasis of calm.
Lab Time!
I love lab, so now it’s time to try out setting your chair
in the woods for yourself. If you have a
folding chair or small side chair and access to the outside, try putting the
chair outside and just sitting there for 10-20 minutes. Breathe in, breathe out, look, listen, smell,
touch. Repeat! This is best if you can
do it in an area with trees like a park, your yard, the school playground, or
wherever!
Or if, in the time of the coronavirus pandemic, you are sheltering in
place in your apartment or house, you can set up a natural space at home and
spend restorative time there! See if you
can include natural lighting and a plant or two, especially a fragrant one.
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| Figure 2. Setting my chair in nature at home during the coronavirus. |
Science of the Restorative Power of Nature
Spending time in the out-of-doors can be restorative,
according to several scientific studies.
In one by White et al. (2019), over 20,000 English participants experienced
varying amounts of time outdoors. Those
who spent 120 or more minutes per week out of doors self-reported having better
health and well-being.
In another by Li et al.,
(2007), a study of 12 individuals showed better immune function and more
expression of anti-cancer proteins after forest bathing. No matter whether you like setting your
chair in the woods, meditating, or engaging in forest bathing, isn’t it time you
spent some time outside, today?
References:
Haile, R. (2017). “Forest
bathing”: how microdosingon nature can help with stress. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/06/forest-bathing/532068/
Jahren, H. (2017).
Tasting the sweetness of summer, berry by
berry. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/science/hope-jahren-berries-norway.html
Li Q., Morimoto ,
K., Nakadai, A., et al. (2007). Forest
bathing enhances human natural killer activity and expression of anti-cancer
proteins. Int. J. Immunopathol. Pharmacol. 2 Suppl 2: 3-8.https:// DOI:10.1177/03946320070200S202
White, M.P., Alcock, I.,
Grellier, J. et al. (2019). Spending
at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and
wellbeing. Sci Rep 9, 7730. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3
This blogpost was written for the benefit of students at
Washtenaw Community College and the community as part of my sabbatical
activities for winter 2020. I am solely responsible for the content
and hold the copyright for the work. Feel free to use the information in
this blog; just credit me with a link back to my blog! -Emily Thompson, Ph.D.
