Just Be With Trees

I came up to Snowbird with a different mindset than ever before after reading a little on Forest Bathing and the Window Studies and having just completed a 3-week meditation on “Hope” with Deepak and Oprah. 

Do nothing. Just absorb. Generally, we do nothing at home too and we have several large evergreens on our property and mountains close by. But we don’t have pure air to breath.

In the beginning, I was going to come to Snowbird alone; a retreat where I could work on projects; hike a couple of hours a day. I can’t even remember if I swam. I toted three or four file boxes of photos to be put into albums and worked diligently on them far into the night. Thank heavens, digital cameras replaced film and there were no more scrapbooks. Gradually, the family started to come for a day or two or all week and we started joining in the activities. Seeing the same people every year, we made friends and it was more of a social/activity experience.

Through RCI we get additional weeks at the Cliff where the Spa is heavenly. Would you believe it was closed for remodeling this year? We swam in the family pool at the Cliff. DeRay and Ed took the shuttle down to do Water Workout at Iron Blosom with Judy each day, staying for the movie and popcorn.

Mainly we absorbed.

 Sunbathers and swimmers within five feet of each other.

Bikinis and sun umbrellas vs ski pants, boots, helmets, and gloves.

  Note the chair lift. This is the bunny run.

     Just be with trees. No hiking, no counting steps on a Fitbit. You can sit or meander, but the point is to relax rather than accomplish anything.

Forest air doesn’t just feel fresher and better—inhaling phytoncide seems to actually improve immune system function.

Qing Li, a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, measured the activity of human natural killer (NK) cells in the immune system before and after exposure to the woods. These cells provide rapid responses to viral-infected cells and respond to tumor formation, and are associated with immune system health and cancer prevention. In a 2009 study Li’s subjects showed significant increases in NK cell activity in the week after a forest visit, and positive effects lasted a month following each weekend in the woods.

This is due to various essential oils, generally called phytoncide, found in wood, plants, and some fruit and vegetables, which trees emit to protect themselves from germs and insects. Forest air doesn’t just feel fresher and better—inhaling phytoncide seems to actually improve immune system function. (QUARTZ MEDIA)

Window Studies: The dominant perception is sight. After patients had gall bladder surgery, records showed that those who were placed by a window with beautiful views of lawns and flowers asked for less pain meditation and were released from the hospital sooner than those who had no window or the window only showed a brick wall. Even observing nature through a window is beneficial.

We loved watching the skiers.

We were entertained each night watching the groomers

working late into the night preparing the runs for the next day.

    The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, boost the immune system, and improve overall feelings of wellbeing.  

Left is through a window; right is mirror reflection.

    “Forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments.”

Subjects were more rested and less inclined to stress after a forest bath.

Trees soothe the spirit too. A study on forest bathing’s psychological effects surveyed 498 healthy volunteers, twice in a forest and twice in control environments. The subjects showed significantly reduced hostility and depression scores, coupled with increased liveliness, after exposure to trees. “Accordingly,” the researchers wrote, “forest environments can be viewed as therapeutic landscapes.” 

 Mirror image.
"Never interrupt me when I'm busy," Ed scolds when I ask him to unload the dishwasher.
(He's "busy" listening to his tapes - that, by the way, DeRay
made a special trip home to get because he forgot them.
"It's only an hour away."
"It's a long week," he pleads.)
"Now your bed's made.
Now I don't have to bitch,"
he says to his dad.
"You don't have to repeat yourself.
Leave that to me," pointing to self.
"Thank you for being so good to me." (My favorite.)
One night we watched Manchester by the Sea
where literally everyone was dysfunctional.
"I hate dysfunctional people," I summarize.
"You must hate yourself then," Ed wisely says.
"Have a good day," the woman at the spa said as we hung up the phones.
"Oh, I forgot to throw a fit," I jest.
"Leave that to me," Ed concludes.
Ah-ha. His secret revealed.
He probably thinks it's his calling.

 Eddy working out.

Three times I was the only one in yoga class;
three times I had private instructions for one hour.
One instructor said she charges $100/hour for private lessons.
Wow.

 Reflection.
I took the picture towards the windows standing behind Amy outside.

 

Amy in the foreground

with reflections in the windows of us and the mountains.

 This is for my forest service brother, DeLoy.

Iron in the water that makes the turning leaves of the aspens red instead of yellow.

Amy finds the jewels.

Amy got this great shot of a marmot by the river.

 All a reflection.

Again, the washed out Amy is live;

the scene is a reflection through the windows of the lodge.