West Coast Notes

Shinrin-Yoku Articles

Reflections and science-informed guidance on forest therapy, somatic stress recovery, nature connection, creativity, digital wellbeing, and practices that help people come back to their senses.

🌙Komorebi, Yuragi & Sanpo Yoshi: Lessons from the Forest
Wendy FigoneForest Therapy

🌙Komorebi, Yuragi & Sanpo Yoshi: Lessons from the Forest

A recent study from Finding Nature reveals something we might already sense: humanity has been steadily drifting away from the natural world for over two centuries. Using a fascinating model, researchers tracked the decline of nature-related words in books — words like river , blossom , moss . They found a drop of nearly 60%, suggesting not just a loss of vocabulary, but a loss of relationship.
Things I learned about Forest Bathing (Shinrinyoku) while in Japan
Wendy FigoneForest Bathing

Things I learned about Forest Bathing (Shinrinyoku) while in Japan

I recently went to Japan to study where Shinrin-Yoku started. We took a long bus ride out to the Japanese Alps to meet with old Japanese communities and health care providers to learn more about the latest research on why engaging your senses in nature is so healing: physically, emotionally and spiritually.