6 days ago
Yes, you can go forest bathing in Singapore – this 49-year-old guide took us to the Botanic Gardens
When she mentions forest bathing, Hazel Yap often gets asked: 'Huh? Where is the forest in Singapore?'
Forest bathing is, simply, spending time in a forest or natural environment, and the slow, mindful immersion of all senses to connect with nature.
'You don't need a forest for forest bathing,' declared the 49-year-old Yap. 'You just need to be around greenery. You can even do this indoors with a plant around you.'
Yap is a certified guide by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, a global organisation for forest therapy training.
'To me, the 'forest' in forest bathing loosely refers to nature. Forest bathing is about finding connection with nature,' she said.
Originating in Japan during the early 1980s, the practice of forest bathing is rooted in ancient Shinto and Buddhist traditions, as well as modern scientific research. Studies have shown that it improves physical, mental and emotional health by reducing stress, lowering blood pressure and improving immune function.
I had arrived 15 minutes late from a difficult school drop-off for my kids. And as I sat in a circle of strangers, my mind was still darting between my to-do lists. When we began in a yoga-like fashion, eyes closed, breathing deeply, I struggled to even keep my eyes shut.
As Yap invited us to focus on each of our senses, my ears tuned in to the sporadic chirping of birds, my nose picked up the green scent of wet grass, my skin felt the soft drop of rain as it bounced off my skin.
As my mind gradually stilled, Yap invited us to go on a solitary short walk through the glistening garden. It was a path I had treaded many times – for picnics, to cafes, to playdates for my kids – but never so purposelessly.
I wandered amidst low hanging branches, bushes heavy with flowers and weeds growing rampant on the grass. By the time I returned, I wasn't half as frazzled as before.
Finally, to end the hour-long session, Yap invited us to bring a gift back from nature. It was a treasure hunt for fallen flora and foliage. I returned with a fern-like leaf for my daughter's bedroom.
That was it. My first forest bathing experience. No forest in sight.
BECOMING A FOREST BATHING GUIDE
'My job as a forest bathing guide is to open the door to nature for you and plant a seed that will one day grow,' Yap said. This 'door' refers to a deeper connection with nature.
'Many go to the park with intention, and are often running or walking very fast,' she said. Because of that, they don't slow down and fully immerse in nature.
Being a forest bathing guide is Yap's passion project; she earns her living as co-founder of Serious Media, a digital marketing agency with multinational clients. It is a fast-paced role, and by September 2021, three years after she co-founded the business, Yap was burnt out. 'I woke up and said, this is enough. I couldn't continue,' she recalled.
That was still during the pandemic, so Yap took a 10-day break in Singapore and tried three new things: baking, knife painting and forest bathing.
In fact, she arrived at the Healing Garden in the Singapore Botanic Gardens for her nature immersion with an upset stomach after lunch. 'It was raining and I was holding an umbrella. There were a lot of mosquitoes. I was bitten left, right, centre,' she laughed.
But as she eased into the session, all her physical discomfort fell away.
'I'll never forget that feeling of the wind blowing on my skin. I felt so alive. When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised by how bright the colours were,' she recalled.
When her guide invited her to 'befriend' a tree, it did not strike her as odd. She simply went up to a tree, touched it and leaned on it, and somehow, her stomach felt better, she said.
'After my session, I looked at the signage and realised this tree heals people with stomach issues when parts of it are consumed.'
It was such a magical experience that six weeks later, Yap signed up for a forest-bathing guide course with the United States-based Association of Nature and Forest Therapy. 'It turned out to be a healing process for me,' she said.
NATURE AS THERAPIST
With the pandemic still raging, sessions were conducted over six months via Zoom with participants heading outdoors. It was during one of those sessions that Yap broke down in front of some 30 international course mates.
Tasked to sit under a tree for self-reflection, Yap felt a connection to the tree and her thoughts began to wander to her beloved late grandmother, who died at the age of 78 due to respiratory problems. Yap was 40 then.
On the day she died, she had just been discharged from hospital, but died unexpectedly as the ambulance pulled up to her HDB block. Yap, who had been following the ambulance in her uncle's car, did not even get to say goodbye.
'My grandmother raised me for the first seven years of my life and was like a mother to me. I felt like my world collapsed. Her death also led me to question what this life is for,' Yap told CNA Women.
As these memories filled her mind, Yap started tearing, and soon, this became breathless sobs. 'It felt like a therapy session,' she said.
Three years later, after pandemic restrictions on travel were lifted, Yap made a trip to Yakushima Island in Japan in October 2023 to complete her forest bathing course. As a final ritual, she wandered into an ancient forest and spent four hours on her own.
'I came out (of the forest) with a heart of gratitude, and as I was sharing my experience (with my course mates), I broke down and cried. Something was released in me,' she said.
The experience changed the way Yap approaches life today.
'In Singapore today, everything is just fast, fast, fast. We think that it is the norm to go fast. It is not. We are not built to be like that.
''Fast' can mean efficiency and being ahead of the game, But it can also mean making hasty decisions. It can bring you stress,' Yap reflected.
'I used to be like that. I walked, talked, ate and did everything fast. I couldn't sit still. The biggest learning for me is to slow down,' she added. 'I now know how to take a pause and make mental space for myself. I will say, I'm not feeling okay today.
'Whenever I am faced with challenges or feel down, I spend time in nature. And even though I may not have solved the problem, I feel like the weight of the world has lifted off.'
IMMERSING IN NATURE IN SINGAPORE
Today, despite her busy full-time job, Yap makes time to lead others on this experience via her company A Good Rest.
'While forest bathing is still new in Singapore, I hope it will be like yoga one day, where almost everyone that you speak to would say, I have done it before or I'm actually doing it weekly,' she said.
In addition, Yap also hopes to organise a weekly reading club in nature.
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'I want to be an advocate for rest,' she said. 'Rest is important; you don't need to feel guilty about rest.'
She hopes her children, aged 19 and 21, will benefit from this. 'They are born in an era where everything is fast, and everything they consume is digital. I don't think the word 'rest' is even in their headspace. I hope my children will learn what rest is,' she said.
'Rest does not only mean taking 10 days off for a holiday. In a world that is full of problems, noise and stress, sometimes all we need to do is take that one step out.
'Go to your park, or a quiet spot, sit under a tree and just be with yourself for a few minutes. That is the best way to enjoy nature,' she said.
