Look
See the trees, the plants growing underfoot, the fungi, moss, and lichen. Look up, down, and all around for animals hiding under rocks, in burrows, and on tree branches. Bring awareness to the smoothness or roughness of the textures of tree trunk bark. Notice the colors, shapes, and textures of leaves and roots and branches. Count how many different shades of green you can see. Detect the grayish tones of some leaves and the deep forest green of others. Pay attention to the shapes of the leaves, looking out for how thin or thick the needles of conifers grow. Spot the variations in the serration or undulation of leaf margins. Take note of the patterns of venation on the leaves themselves. Consider the tiniest of hairs on the undersides of some leaves.
Look for the patterns in nature, the repetitive shapes of designs. Count the needles on pine trees, the petals of flowers, and the whorled leaves on plants….
Listen
Listen to the symphony of nature. What does the forest sound like? If you stay still for a few minutes, what can you hear?...
Bask for a moment in your own silence. Plug in to the natural auditory landscape around you. Hear the rustling of leaves, the birdsong, or the running stream water. Listen for the subtle sounds of the forest. Pay attention to the sounds of the little critters scurrying across the forest floor, the slithering of snakes, and the creaking of the tree branches as they sway almost imperceptibly to and fro. Listen to the Listenwhispering of the wind and the buzzing of insects….
Smell
Smell the fresh air and the evergreens. As you walk around, smell a few different trees and notice the subtle differences in the scents of different trees. Pay attention to the combination of volatile oils. Rub an evergreen leaf and take a deep breath….
Smell the grass and the soil. Squat down and get close to smell a flower as though you are a bee. Try to notice the imperceptible sweetness of a clover flower….
Feel
Stand or sit still, exactly where you are. Take a moment to feel the ground beneath your feet. Pause a moment to consider your body and its gravity exerting a gentle pressure against the earth. Imagine the same force coming up beneath you, the soil pushing up to meet your feet. Shift your weight back and forth from one foot to the other. Lift one foot at a time and notice if the soil is soft or cushioned or compacted underfoot.
Touch a tree close to you. Notice the texture and strength of the tree trunk. Feel the pattern of the bark across your fingers….
Taste
Taste is the last of the five sense to engage in forest bathing and it’s completely optional. Open your mouth to taste the air as it passes or as a drop of rain falls onto your tongue. Try pine-needle or gingko-leaf tea if you have the opportunity….
— Cyndi Gilbert in Forest Bathing