FOREST BATHING

PHOTOGRAPHY AND WORDS LIZETTE MIKKELSEN

Can you remember the last time you were in a forest? What it smelled like, what sounds you heard, how the light interacted with the trees? Slow down your breath, and imagine yourself in this space. Notice a difference?

This sensory engagement is part of a Japanese therapeutic relaxation practice known as Shinrinyoku, or forest bathing. Utilizing the five senses to engage with nature at a slow and mindful pace, this ancient exercise is linked with increased positivity, lower blood pressure and stress release.

Here, MY Magazine founder and editor-in-chief Lizette Mikkelsen shares her personal experience with forest bathing as a daily practice: As I step into the forest, a unique sense of serenity washes over me. The noise of daily life fades, replaced by the gentle rustling of leaves and the quiet hum of life all around. The forest’s quiet strength and timeless presence offer a peace that feels almost otherworldly, reminding me to breathe, to slow down, and to reconnect — with the moment, with myself, and with nature. The weight of stress lifts, and I can almost feel my cortisol levels — the stress hormone — melting away. The forest transforms from a space into a sanctuary, wrapping me in calm, grounding me, and reassuring me that I am exactly where I need to be. This is MY Forest Bathing. As the founder and editor-in-chief of MY Magazine, creativity lies at the heart of everything I do. When my creative energy needs a recharge, I turn to the forest. There’s something extraordinary about how the forest resets my thoughts, stripping away distractions and noise. In this quiet, uninterrupted connection with nature, ideas seem to flow effortlessly. It’s here that I remember why I love the art of creating.

When I am weighed down, the forest becomes my refuge. There’s a profound comfort in being surrounded by towering trees, each holding its own story and history. I often find myself imagining what they’ve witnessed —seasons changing, storms passing, people who have walked beneath their branches for centuries, each one with their own narrative. These trees are silent witnesses to time.

I experience a sense of healing when I walk past these ancient beings, which actively support our health in ways that feel almost magical. One example is the release of phytoncides, which are the forest's natural gift to us. These are tiny aromatic natural chemicals emitted by trees and plants to protect themselves from insects, bacteria, and disease. But what’s truly amazing is how these same compounds also nurture and protect us when we breathe them in. Research has shown that phytoncides stimulate the production and activity of natural killer cells (NK cells). These cells act as our body’s frontline defence, targeting and destroying harmful invaders like viruses, bacteria, and even cancerous cells. The effect is so remarkable that spending just a few hours in a forest can boost your NK cell activity for days, leaving your immune system stronger and more resilient — it’s a true act of self- care, a way of harmonizing with nature’s healing powers. In essence, the trees are not just standing tall for themselves — they are sharing their strength with us.

Phytoncides are nature’s way of reminding us that we are connected, and in the presence of trees, we are both calmed and healed.