What is Forest Bathing?
Forest Bathing is the practice of immersing oneself in nature in a mindful way, using your senses to derive a whole range of benefits for physical, mental, emotional and social health. Forest Bathing is a direct translation from Shinrin-yoku: ‘Shinrin’ meaning forest and ‘Yoku’ bathing. Shinrin-yoku was first conceptualized in Japan in the 1980’s, where it proved to be a very effective tool in overcoming illness and the negative effects of a hectic and stressful lifestyle.
Forest Bathing in nature engages the parasympathetic nervous system (the area of the brain that is responsible for bodily functions when we are at rest), stimulating digestion, activating various metabolic processes and helping us to relax. When practicing Forest Bathing, positive hormones are released in the body, helping to make you feel less sad, angry or anxious. As such, Forest Bathing can help to reduce stress and improve symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Forest Bathing has also been shown to increase focus, concentration and memory.
Trees also release organic compounds called phytoncides. Research has shown that phytoncides stimulate our immune systems, boosting immunity for days or even weeks after time has been spent in a forest environment.
The Need for Forest Bathing
Pre COVID-19 pandemic, the charity ‘Mind’ reported that 1 in 9 children and young people have a mental health problem. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, this has risen to 1 in 5 children and young people. In a 2025 report, Mind reported that there were over half a million referrals to children and young people’s mental health services, with half of these children and young people waiting over a year to start treatment. The report also stated that new, urgent referrals to crisis care teams have more than tripled since 2019, showing that long waits for support are leaving children and young people to become more unwell, reaching crisis point before they get any help.
This data shows the need for more early intervention and support services to address gaps in support elsewhere in the system. Forest Bathing has proved to be effective as an early intervention strategy, helping prevent children and young people from reaching crisis point.
OASES & Forest Bathing, Our Journey
OASES has worked with schools to enable children and young people to engage and care for the environment for over 30 years. In 2018, OASES staff took part in Forest Bathing training and instantly saw the potential for children and young people. After seeing the potential, in 2019/20 OASES (then NEEN) developed a Forest Bathing programme for children and young people and secured funding from the Wellsley Foundation to run a Forest Bathing Pilot. At a similar time, OASES were employed by the Durham Heritage Coast to run a Forest Bathing initiative for SEND pupils at Easington Colliery Primary School. These two pots of funding allowed OASES to explore how Forest Bathing practice could be adapted for children and young people, by synthesising, developing, trialling and testing different delivery methods and monitoring pupil’s responses and feedback to it.
As a result of this initial work, OASES was able to conclude that Forest Bathing had a very positive impact upon children’s mental and physical health, with SEND children and those suffering from high levels of anxiety benefitting the most.
OASES consequently decided to invest its own funds into developing a NOCN Level 3 qualification in Forest Bathing and CPD offer to roll out the practice and reach more children and young people. Since 2021 over 100 educators have received Forest Bathing training from OASES.
In 2021, OASES secured funding from Mid Durham Area Action Partnership to run Nature and Nurture. Informed by our previous delivery, this project was designed to target groups of 12 – 15 children identified by the school, CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) or EWEL (emotional wellbeing and effective learning) as in need of early intervention support. Teachers shadowed the practice and completed Forest Bathing training, ensuring the provision would continue after the project came to an end. Following the delivery, the results were staggeringly positive. As well as the mental health benefits, teachers reported improved attendance and attention. Families were also intrigued by the intervention, wanting to know what was making such a difference to their child’s behaviour.
OASES consequently adapted the ‘ideal’ model again, to include a family celebration event at the end, so that family members could join their children in a Forest Bathing session to experience the benefits themselves (ensuring the sustainability of the impact).
In the same year OASES secured funding from City of Durham Area Action Partnership to deliver Forest Bathing training to 10 teachers, through the Nature for Wellbeing programme. To become qualified the teachers had to deliver a Forest Bathing programme (lasting a minimum of 6 weeks) to their children. Again, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating that a training-only model could be successful.
In 2022 East Durham Rural Corridor Area Action Partnership funded OASES’ Nature Therapy project, to deliver Forest Bathing sessions with six schools in their area. Delivery took place in woodlands in the school grounds or local area, demonstrating that the model can be successful in a variety of different woodland environments. After receiving such positive feedback from the children’s families in this and previous projects, we developed Family Forest Bathing Cards which were designed to help families continue to support their children through Forest Bathing outside of school. In a recent visit to Kelloe Primary School, one of the primary schools who took part in the project, it was wonderful to see that they have continued to offer Forest Bathing provision for their pupils, demonstrating the long-lasting legacy of the project.
In 2024, OASES ran a fundraising campaign through The Big Give’s Green Match Fund. The money raised funded Forest Bathing sessions for five schools across the North East, showing public interest and buy-in into the concept.
In the same year, OASES secured funding from Believe Housing to deliver Nature Therapy a programme of Forest Bathing with two cohorts of 12 children in two schools. The children who attended the programme were identified by their school as in need of support with stress, anxiety, behavioral issues or bereavement. Informed by our previous practice, this project allowed us to collect more quantitative and qualitative data, demonstrating proof of impact of the Forest Bathing model that we had developed since the first pilot project. 100% of the children said that they enjoyed Forest Bathing, with 84% reporting that Forest Bathing helped them learn new ways to calm down when they feel upset and 90% reporting that Forest Bathing made them feel good about themselves. To ensure provision continued after the project, so that the support remained in place for these and other children, Teachers received Forest Bathing training, and the children’s families received a set of Family Forest Bathing Cards and were invited to attend a Forest Bathing celebration event with their child.
OASES is currently establishing relationships with Cumbria University and Durham University to see if we can secure funding to carry out research into the impact of Forest Bathing upon children (delivered through the OASES model). If successful, we will use this research as evidence of need to convince public bodies of the benefits and need for investment, so that more children can know, understand and benefit from Forest Bathing.
Impact of Forest Bathing
Wellsley Trust – Forest Bathing Pilot
Feedback from Children:
A high proportion of pupils reported feeling happy, calm or relaxed after a forest bathing session:
“Forest Bathing is nice and calm and you can do stuff that’s not like in a rush.”
“It keeps me calm and helps me to concentrate.”
“It’s really cool that I’m outside. It calms me down cos sometimes I can be like really, really like if we go in the afternoon, I can be stressed about my work and then I come here it’s all relaxed and lovely.”
“I like forest bathing because it makes me calm. Before I come I am all angry because I get frustrated with myself when I can’t do things in class. When we have finished the forest bathing I feel calm and I am happy.’ (Year 4).
A large number of pupils recorded feeling emotions that, on the surface, appear to be conflicting. However, when questioned during the post-experience film, children stated that they felt both happy, calm and bored during the session.
Based on 66 pupil responses at Easington Colliery, 71% described being ‘Happy’, 18% reported being “calm” and 13% found it “relaxing”.
City of Durham Area Action Partnership – Nature for Wellbeing
Feedback from Teachers:
All of the Teachers who took part in this programme filled in a feedback form at the end to answer the following questions to ascertain impact:
Have children explored and connected with the natural environment for the benefit of their wellbeing through this programme? 100% responded agree or strongly agree.
Have children gained in confidence as a result of the project? 100% responded agree or strongly agree.
Would you say this group of children have increased their time exploring and connecting with the natural environment through the programme? 100% responded agree or strongly agree.
Has this programme benefitted children’s wellbeing? 100% responded agree or strongly agree.
“This has been such a good course to have taken. It has had significant impact on my teaching and will throughout the school, I am sure.”
“This has been such a positive experience. I really did not imagine what a positive experience this would have been.”
“Personally, Forest Bathing has had a positive impact on my well-being, knowing I can go for a walk or going to sit by a tree to switch off from work stresses, taking time for myself. I have found I have noticed my natural environment more and I’m aware of my surroundings and appreciating nature.”
“The children are loving it and it is having a positive impact on their behaviour- parents have mentioned they have gone home better after the session.”
“The impact of this programme has been marked, resulting in a significant reduction of the number of negative lunchtime incidents and an increased ability to be able to cope within the classroom.”
“I was really positively surprised by how they let go of their inhibitions and were willing to have a go at these invitations. The feedback afterwards was really positive.”
“Parents have fed back to say that they have been calmer”
“Generally, participants show a much greater appreciation of nature and an understanding that damaging one part of our ecosystem effects all others.”
“I absolutely loved doing the course with the other participants. The activities were fantastic and the location was really conducive to the learning. I really did not understand the concept in much detail at the start, but the process has been fantastic and has changed my practice significantly. The group of children really connected with the environment that they experienced. They have become experts at noticing living creatures and identifying tree types and really understood the benefit of the natural world. The responses of children who were extremely anxious have been so positive.”
“Child with anxiety now gets in car to come to school in the morning. Children are using some of the mindful breathing exercises to help them get to sleep.”
“I enjoyed the opportunity to experience Forest Bathing for myself prior to leading the sessions. It was so relaxing!”
“I will prioritise the freedom Forest Bathing gives the children to be young and relax. Seeing one boy change from expressing no emotions and not talking, to chatting with other children and saying he felt happy.”
“Nice to see a different side to some of the children. Language development for a Ukrainian child to learn English and becoming more confident. Thank you so much it has been amazing, very inspirational.”
“I enjoyed watching the children take part and engage positively. Seeing an improvement in social communication and emotional wellbeing. The children enjoying sitting still! And being present and mindful in nature.”
“Following sessions, the children, (several of whom were previously presenting as very emotionally dysregulated /lack of engagement/ at risk o school refusal) were calm, relaxed and happy and really interested in the details of the natural world around them”
Feedback from Children:
“I’m happy that I’m here.”
“I love every single thing.”
“I told my Mum about this- listening to the birds and everything.”
“I feel calm when I come through the portal.”
“It helps me, my anger and worry goes away and I come out feeling great.”
“Helps you calm down from being too hyper.”
“I could sit under my tree all day….I wish we could do this every day.”
“I don’t have to sit still or stay in the same place to learn.”
“I think I’ve become more confident. I’ll say what I think in front of others a bit more now.”
‘‘When I’m outside, I feel really calm…I never knew that I could hear so many sounds and the sound of leaves was really restful.”
“I feel really comfortable when I’m outside. I’m helping my uncle in his allotment now and we’re growing our own food. I can tell my uncle about all the creatures there.”
“I found it tiring at the start and I was nervous. I then found it calming and restful.”
Feedback from Parents:
“Since doing Forest Bathing he is calmer at home and does some of the breathing exercises to help him go to sleep.”
“She has loved Forest Bathing and now gets in the car easier to get to school in a morning.”
“She is loving Forest Bathing and seems a little calmer at home.”
East Durham Rural Corridor Area Action Partnership – Nature Therapy
Feedback from Teachers:
“From my point of view, I have noticed that the children come back from each session uplifted and feeling positive. For one particular child, I have noticed that they have more confidence to speak as they can often be quite quiet and reluctant to share things that excite them, but not since starting this project. They can’t wait to tell me what they have been learning about, and they have been particularly enthusiastic about making mud sculptures. They have even continued to incorporate their learning into their play during break times. The children look forward to Thursdays, and it is the first thing they mention when they come into school on a morning.”
“One child struggles academically and lacks confidence but seeing him outside, during a forest bathing session, he looks and acts happier and has confidence in what he is doing.”
“One of the children has complicated sensory needs. Her parent has said that she is a lot calmer after a forest bathing session. The parent has asked when forest bathing will be happening again as she wants her child to attend again because of the positive effects it has on her child’s emotions and behaviour due to her sensory needs. The child has said she likes the calm of forest bathing.” – Teacher.
“In just a few weeks, I have seen a big change in X, she is now more confident in herself, spending time in nature.”
Feedback from Children:
“Forest bathing made me relaxed and calm. I’ve used the breathing activities when i get nervous about something – it helps. My favourite part was the art and the mud. I really wished it hadn’t ended. I would like it as a session each week. I was surprised how beautiful the Secret garden is.”
“I feel calm because it’s really noisy in the classroom but it’s quiet here.”
Believe Housing – Nature Therapy
Feedback from Children:
Before the Forest Bathing sessions, 46% of the children felt that it was not important or only a little important to them to spend time in nature. After the Forest Bathing sessions, 85% of the children felt that it was very important or extremely important to them to spend time in nature.
100% of the children said that they enjoyed the Forest Bathing sessions. One child shared how much she likes being in an outdoor space after taking part in Forest Bathing, particularly digging and mud painting activities which she now does at home too. She finds the noise of the classroom overwhelming (it makes her feel “grrr”) whereas she finds being outside in the school woodland calming. Another child shared that he finds it hard to do work in the classroom, but taking part in activities in the forest feels easy.
84% of the children said that Forest Bathing helped them learn new ways to calm down when they feel upset. Through Forest Bathing, one child discovered that finding and holding animals, such as worms and bugs, makes them feel calm. Another child learnt that feeling the leaves and touching other things in the forest helps them calm down.
79% of the children said that Forest Bathing has helped them feel less anxious about doing new things.
90% of the children said that Forest Bathing helped them feel good about themselves. One child shared how, as well as feeling good about themselves, Forest Bathing also helps them feel good about others and nature too. Another child shared how spending time Forest Bathing in the school woodland makes her feel like herself and that she likes that it makes her spend more time in nature rather than inside.
“I extremely enjoyed it!” – Child.
“All the time at Forest Bathing I feel happy” – Child.
“We like the hammocks because we can relax. I enjoyed it one million percent!” – Child.
“I love using the binoculars to look for birds. It makes me feel calm and kinda happy” – Child.
Feedback from Parents:
Parents / carers and grandparents were invited to attend a family celebration event and share any feedback on the Forest Bathing programme that their child took part in:
“My daughter has a sensory processing disorder. It has helped so much with learning and sleep. She is so much better at home on a Monday after a Forest Bathing session.” – Parent.
“My child is enjoying being outdoors more” – Parent.
“It has helped her with ways to calm down” – Parent.
“It gives her more time to be in nature and an opportunity to express creativity” – Parent.
“Happy – he likes exploring the plants and being in the trees” – Parent.
“It’s been so good for them to just be outside. It’s not as easy for children to spend time outside anymore” – Grandparent.
“It has helped keep him calm and he now loves bird watching” – Parent.
“She is happy when she has Forest Bathing on. It helps her come to school that day” – Parent.
“She is now more interested in nature; she used to spend most of her time on her x-box, but now she takes herself into the garden more often to explore and play in it. It has also helped boost her confidence.” – Parent.
