Photo of the Week 2015-03-02

There is something about the forest, winter, summer, any season. There is just something calming, soothing, rejuvenating about being in touch with the forest.

The Japanese have a phrase, shinrin-yoku, that roughly translates to forest bathing.
According to the Wiki article, "It has now become a recognized relaxation and/or stress management activity in Japan."

When we spend time at our cottage on the Bruce Peninsula, Lynn has often said to me "you're different up here". It's more than just getting away from "the city", more than just leaving work behind, more than a change of scenery. I truly feel a change in body and mind, a calm, clear wellness. My "photo buddies" feel it when we go out for our weekend treks in the forest closer to home too. We've commented on the feeling, the need to get away and how it makes us feel more "alive".

For those interested in reading more, there is a longer article here: Your Brain on Nature: Forest Bathing and Reduced Stress.

through winter woods

"It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men’s hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit." —Robert Louis Stevenson 

DJE