Bathe your senses in the atmosphere of the forest

Imagine standing at the foot of a waterfall, feeling the tiny little drops of splashing water on your face and your arms, your chest…. The sun is shining, turning the water drops into small crystals and highlighting the green forest surrounding you. The air temperature is perfectly pleasant and a soft breeze touches your skin.

You are getting a natural antioxidant therapy through the negative ions that are hidden in these fast-moving waters. A good splash of negative ions can positively affect your metabolism, immune system, digestion, blood pressure, sleep, and emotional state. All these advantages are available to you by just sitting still at the base of a waterfall.

A similar effect is achieved through Grounding or Earthing, a simple practice of walking barefoot on the forest floor or the beach or any place where you are in direct contact with the Earth’s surface. The Earth is charged with negative ions which are beneficial for our health and when we take off our rubber soled isolating shoes and get in touch again with the ground, this balances our own electrical field, helping to reduce inflammation and reduce pain.

Earthing can be a part of a practice called Forest Bathing that is rapidly gaining attention.

Imagine yourself being guided on a gentle, slow stroll through a tropical forest, where it is all about our senses. What are the different colors? How many shades of green can you notice? The infinity of shapes.

What sounds are you noticing? Can you hear the sounds that are far away? How do the sounds interact? How does the whole forest sound?

Have you ever touched the different barks of the trees? The smoothness and the roughness of the forest? The different temperatures? What does it feel like to sense the forest floor with your bare feet?

Ohh the smells of this place…. The earthy scent of decomposing leaves, the sweet fragrance of a ripe fruit, the freshness of green leaves. What is the smell of the unique blend of the forest?

Slowly you get in tune with this place, with its pace and rhythm, you are simply here, no need to go anywhere, no need to achieve anything, simply noticing and wondering.

Forest Bathing was first coined in 1982 in Japan under the term of Shinrin-Yoku, which translated means Forest bathing. And it is not about getting your bathing suit and take a dip in a river or a lake, it is more about bathing your senses in the atmosphere of the forest.

At the beginning of the 80’s there was a spike in autoimmune diseases and cancer in Japan and they started a series of researches on the impact of nature on humans. Some of the results were really extraordinary, like a reduction in the stress hormones like cortisol, blood pressure regulation and increased immune system functioning. Additionally, they noticed an increase in focus and productivity and an overall sensation of happiness and wellbeing.

We spend too much time in our head, thinking, worrying, ruminating, meaning we are either in the past or in the future and therefore disconnected from ourselves and from what is happening here and now. Very little time we are really present. The easiest way of being present is through our senses. And being present is the most effective way of reducing stress.

Forest bathing is not about hiking and exercising and it is not a naturalist walk. Forest bathing is about being here and rediscovering our environment through our senses. It is about remembering our relationship with ourselves, our bodies, the other people and the Earth and nature in and around us.

How about a forest bathing walk followed by a relaxing immersion in natural thermal waters surrounded by trees? I wonder if you perceive the temperature and the texture of the water differently now that you are very aware of your senses.

The benefits of thermal waters are well known, depending on its composition, they have different healing properties and are abundant in Hacienda Guachipelin, due to its closeness to the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano.

Enjoying and savoring a delicious and healthy meal, cooked with local, fresh ingredients and prepared by our specialized chefs is the perfect ending to the day.

All this encompassed by the Costa Rican Pura Vida of a rural area, where true, authentic and sincere hospitality still has a meaning. Pura Vida means Pure Life and that is exactly what you will experience here: The joy of feeling alive, pure life.

Don’t you feel recharged and relaxed already? Let the experience in your head become real and visit us!