Okay so sort of by accident, I’ve been learning more about “mindfulness” lately! (Although with a World Series Game starting shortly, it’s hard to be entirely “in the moment” just now…) 

While I can sure use the education, it’s been coming in forms I definitely didn’t expect! I mean, bathing-wise, I’ve always been a practitioner of the kind one does with soap and water (and to those who know me personally, you’re welcome!). But lately, I’ve tackled a couple other types of immersion that are meant to help people toward a more balanced, present and peaceful state of mind:

I’ve given sound bathing and forest bathing a shot!

Before now, there were plenty of other activities I’d thought of as “bathing”. Like I used to do lots of sun bathing in my complexionally reckless youth. I gather mud bathing is good for the skin and joints. And I’ve heard of those pedicures where you start by bathing your feet in a bowl of nibbly fishies – which I’d totally do if someone wanted me to confess to a crime…

Founding Father Ben Franklin apparently fancied sessions of “air bathing” wherein he’d shed his clothes, open the windows and lie there in all his glory for an hour or so! Some other of Dr. Franklin’s innovations like the stove, the lightning rod and the American Revolution caught on. But air bathing? Maybe not so much.

During this summer, the only non-soapy bath I’d taken was at the hands of stingy casino slots in Connecticut. But then my friend Sherry invited me to the town of Landers (in desert-y California territory near Joshua Tree National Park) to experience a sound bath inside something called “The Integratron”! 

I’d tried sound bathing once before, but not at the kind of spot its website touts as a “Fusion of Art, Science and Magic” – and that’s a whole story of its own in which to get immersed! 

As our bathing group settled onto comfy mats around the inside edge of this impressively symmetrical wood-walled dome, we were told how the Integratron was the brainchild of George Van Tassel, who had applied his experience with aerospace – and outer space – to build a device for lengthening life through the rejuvenation of cell tissue. Over 18 years, Van Tassel is said to have labored on it from a design that incorporated elements of the Tabernacle of Moses, the writings of Nikola Tesla and the telepathic direction of extraterrestrials from Venus. 

Unpack that and then go be in the moment…

Anyway, Van Tassel died “suddenly” in 1978 before his Integratron could be tested – but turns out the building he left has some terrific acoustic properties for sound bathing! Hour long sessions are designed to encourage relaxation, rejuvenation and introspection through sounds from crystal “singing bowls” calibrated to our energy centers – or “chakras”. I imagine the eery notes coaxed out of these bowls “resonate” differently with each individual – and we were even told some people get so relaxed that they fall asleep! 

I’m a real work in progress when it comes to relaxing, but I did manage it through some of the bath. Other times though, certain vibrating notes evoked memories that took me away from being fully present, and I’d have to reel myself back in (music often hits me this way too). And while introspection doesn’t always lead to peaceful feelings for me, it still made for an instructive journey – and one at a location I found myself oddly reluctant to leave…

The next leg of my own little Bathing-Palooza was a short journey over to Big Bear for a yoga festival! I was introduced there to several types of yoga routines but, having grown up around trees as the child of a forestry professor (roots are in my roots!), my favorite was the forest bath!

In Japan in the 1980’s, the term “shinrin-yoku” was given to this practice which grew as a therapeutic response to the distance that urbanization and technology were putting between people and nature. Our festival version involved hiking to a small clearing bounded by imposing trees and the type of boulders my dad used to call “jumblies”. There we were led through some poses and given the chance to absorb the sights, sounds and fragrances of the world around us. Here again, I was present some of the time, but then my mind would wander off to days when Dad took me backpacking among such trees and jumblies – and I didn’t mind that at all…

The exercise was so much fun that I hunted down a forest bathing option close to home at the Arboretum in Arcadia, California! This one was coordinated to take place around sunset, and led by a gal who was not only a Certified Forest Therapy Guide, but also a Mindfulness Meditation instructor, a sound healing practitioner and a Reiki Master – so we were in very good hands!

While dusk settled in, we were introduced to various ways of relaxing and becoming aware of our environment. (We even blew bubbles –  a delightful way to be aware of our breathing!) We were invited to wander the scenic grounds by ourselves on missions to observe details of the sky, the earth and all the flora in between (some fauna too!) and to share our findings. The energizing exploration was capped off with a pleasing cup of herbal tea.

As suggested by all the credentials of our ardent guide, I expect there are any number of approaches for leading these events – as well as “buy-ins” and takeaways for participants. And beyond dipping a toe into the “bathing” pool, contextual deep dives are fascinating as well!

Both practices clearly have their spiritual underpinnings – and there are the historical ones. Ancient civilizations throughout history (and maybe time) have sought benefits from understanding and living in harmony with forests, and from using the harmony of instruments as simple as the beating of a drum to heal and connect.

And while Japan coined the phrase for this physical and spiritual engagement with nature, the concept has caught on (or been rekindled) in other parts of the world. In Finland, for instance, I understand they’re putting forests next to healthcare centers to aid with folks’ well being.

And finally, more literal-minded people could study the effects of breathing in these thingies called phytoncides that plants release, which are supposed to be healthy for our cells.

As I said, it’d take practice for me to get the greatest benefit from these two types of bathing. In forest bathing parlance, I’d have to work on viewing them not like a hike where the focus is to get somewhere, but rather simply to savor being where I am.

 I think the most valuable takeaway for me was the variety of ways on offer to “connect”. It was truly refreshing for my senses to get reacquainted with the basics of nature. It was deeply moving to feel memories stir to life through insistent tones that seemed to reverberate in my soul. And it’s always such a pleasure to embark on these adventures with longtime and very dear friends!

Alright, for now I’m off to watch the World Series. But I’ll be looking forward to my next opportunity to make some mindful connections! 

Put me in, Coach – I’m ready to bathe!

Cheers!