Forest Bathing Photography in Nuuksio National Park, Finland
My partner, Allan has been working a bit more intensely than usual in November. So I decided to offer him a mindful walk in a really calm place where one cannot hear anything else than his own breathing. My choice?
Nuuksio National Park (or Nuuksio Kansallispuisto in Finnish) is located in Southern Finland and it is known for its peaceful and untouched nature, providing an ideal spa-like experience.
I wanted to give to Allan some space to relax and be fully present in this 2-h hiking trail we chose to do. I had my camera with me (as always) and decided to try something new: forest bathing photography.
Does this term acutally exist? Maybe not. But you will understand in a bit.
Before we dive deeper into forest bathing, let’s first arrive to Nuuksio. Down below we have the info point where you can get to know all the hiking trails and also get some fresh and clean water for the road.
We came by car and parked it in the designated parking space of Nuuksio National Park. It is very easy to find the hiking trails using Google. However, this time I used AllTrails to give it a try.
At the beginning of the hiking trail, there were couple of families and groups around. I was worried that our calming experience will not be what we have imagined, as it appeared a bit busy at first. And if you are wondering what is ‘‘busy in a forest’’ in Finland, it looks like above, hehe. 👆
Another fun one from Finnish forests: designated roads for bike riding and…horse crossing.
We chose our hiking trail and I followed Allan along. We climbed hills, walked on high stairs, walked on the frozen swamps, ate our rye bread sandwiches on the snow and enjoyed the winter silence of nature. And then, in that sublime silence and peacefulness - it hit me…
Following Allan along
I will now do forest bathing with the help of …. photography!
For those who do not know what forest bathing is, here you go:
Forest bathing, or "shinrin-yoku" in Japanese, is a practice that involves immersing yourself in a forested environment to promote mental and physical well-being. When doing forest bathing you usually turn off your phone, take slow steps, and focus on engaging all your senses in your present moment. It usually involves different breathing exercises.
So this is what I did. I decided to let my mind wonder with the camera around my neck. When I felt to stop, I stopped. When I felt like walking, I walked. I started to breathe more deeply every step and turn on all my senses all at once.
Walking on Frozen Swamps
At first it might be complicated to do that, but the more you do it, the easier it gets to get into this mindful state whenever needed. So I would say it’s worth a try.
Why I involved photography? Because I wanted to test if it is easier to get into the forest bathing state and if my photography practice will change in any way. And it did.
Down below you have some of the results👇:
What was different?
When I practiced forest bathing this time, I was able to coordinate my senses and my breathing much better than when practicing photography only or forest bathing only.
The end result?
After the forest bathing photography exercises, my mind was calmer and I managed to bring the mindful state again and again throughout the next days. The mindful feeling I managed to get my mind and body into stayed with me for the next two days and set the tone for the next week ahead.
I was also very satisfied of trying out something different in my photography practice and getting surprising results.
I tend to believe that this long-lasting effect happened also thanks to the fact that photography is a great help in switching from the 1st person (me, my vision, my thoughts, my mind) to the 3rd person ( observational state, detached vision, broaden life vision) very quickly.
Practicing forest bathing with the help of photography might not be for everyone, but I do encourage those who read this to give it a try and see how they feel after!
With all the love,
Luiza Preda
PS: For more insights on how to improve your well-being through photography, follow me on Instagram.
