Forest bathing, a direct translation of the Japanese term Shinrin-yoku, is the practice of immersing one’s self into the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of all sorts that occur in the forest.

As a practice, it invites people to slow down and engage with their surroundings. As a result, it has become a useful tool for individuals to improve their mental health.

Trails for forest bathing exist all over the world, but for the first time, an official forest bathing trail with instructions on how to engage with the practice has come to a City of Calgary park at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary.

“I think living in Calgary, we take off to the mountains. We’re looking for those natural spaces, and Calgary has these really awesome spaces here. The Inglewood bird sanctuary is such a nice place to come to,” said Ken Ouendag, ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide and Trail Consultant.

Ouendag worked with the City of Calgary Parks to develop a lesser-used portion of the bird sanctuary trail system into a forest bathing trail.

Situated over five stops, signposts with QR codes for individuals using smartphones or people with printed maps available at the start of the trail, are invited into particular types of practice that reflect the nature along that portion of the trail.

That could be taking a seat and watching the colours of the surrounding plants and birds, or taking your shoes off and feeling the tactile sense of earth below.

Although to skeptics the practice of forest bathing might seem a little bit hokey, something Ouendag himself acknowledges is not an entirely uncommon response from some people whom he has led on trails, there is significant scientific research that backs up the practice.

“There’s a lot of research, particularly in the last decade or so, from around the world that keeps pointing to us, showing us and reminding us that being in nature and slowing down in this way and connecting is very restorative,” he said.

“For some people, it could be improving sleep, increasing creativity, focus. Really, the list could go on and on. But our focus for this is really around, reconnecting with nature, maybe with yourself, and relaxation.”

Forest bathing trail began with an idea from a City of Calgary staff member

Carmen Hindson, Manager of Parks Downtown and Centre City Operations for Calgary Parks and Open Spaces, said that the impetus for the trail came from inside her department earlier this year.

The relatively low cost to implement the trail, along with having an existing area at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, made it an easy choice for the parks department.

“This was a space that had so many varied things to look at. You’ve got the water, you’ve got the trees, you’ve got the birds. It seemed like a logical place to start,” said Hindson.

“It was a bit of an underutilized area of the park, but also had a lot of varying viewscapes, a lot of different things to look at. So, it just made sense to install the signage and have our forest bathing trail in that space. As it’s all come together, it’s clear that it is the perfect space for us.”

The trail’s development took place over the past six months by city staff and Ouendag.

He said the five trail stops are designed for the summer environment at the park.

“We’ve planned this so that the invitations will change for each season. So, the hope is that people will come back multiple times with each season, and they’ll be adjusted a little bit too, because obviously the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is going to look and feel quite different in the winter time than it’s going to look and feels right now here in the summer,” said Ouendag.

The forest bathing trailhead can be found by travelling north on the main pathway system within the sanctuary, and forms a complete loop approximately one kilometre in length.

Using the trail, whether by smartphone or by printed brochure, is free.

Hindson said that, depending on feedback from the public, Parks and Open Spaces may consider adding forest bathing trails at other locations in Calgary.

“We’re taking all of the feedback that we receive, and could look at expanding the program based on that feedback. Nose Hill might be a possibility. I think there’s a lot of great options in Calgary, we’ve got a lot of beautiful park spaces,” she said.