Forest Bathing for a Spiritual Reboot

Walking through the Forest, Friends Share Forest Bathing

When you walk through a forest you are not just looking at trees.  Forests are an ecosystem in and of themselves. They are full of life, from the earthy smell of leaf litter, green moss and mushrooms, insects that fly or crawl, to wildlife like birds and squirrels that make their homes in the forest. Observing the interconnectedness of the forest, we can submerge ourselves and realize that we, too, are part of the natural world. We are one with Nature already, but we have forgotten. Walking in a forest gives us a way to reconnect.

The Japanese recognized the importance of forest walks for healing both our bodies and our spirits. Called Shinrin Yoku, or Forest Therapy, forest bathing simply means taking in the atmosphere of the forest for its healing benefits. Some of the health benefits of Forest Bathing include boosting immunity, improving mental clarity, and decreasing anxiety. 

Much has been written on the benefits of spending time quietly under the canopy of a living forest since Shinrin-Yoku Forest Medicine was developed. Thanks in part to the Association of Nature and Forest Bathers, people all over the world are now experiencing the health and spiritual benefits that time in Nature provides. 

But you don’t have to travel the world over to experience the spirits of the trees and reconnect with Nature. It is possible to walk in a forest right here in Los Angeles.  The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Arcadia, for example, offers walks through the grounds with a certified Forest Bather to guide you.  Certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Bathers (ANFB), the spiritual guides are trained in the ancient Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku. 

This Spring, there are ongoing 2-hour Saturday walks through the forests of the Arboretum with a spirit leader to guide you. Valentine’s day is coming. Why not celebrate your relationship with your partner by bringing him or her to the forest for an intimate spiritual reboot~ 

Visit: Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden (www.arboretum.org)

Resolutions Become Memories

Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois, October, 2017
Photo by Kathy Vilim

'Tis the time of year for Resolutions. Actually, by now all resolutions should be in place. I am not one to make resolutions usually, but last year Jan. 2017 I made a big one: I resolved to get back to Chicago to see my aging parents.  I hadn't been back for 10 years! Things get busy and time flies by. But I decided to make this happen! Guess what: my best memories of 2017 took place back on that vacation.

My happiest moment of 2017 and the scene that sticks in my mind is this one: Sitting in the car with my father, together listening to Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe", watching yellow autumn leaves blow across the driveway. Then, it starts to rain. Yellow leaves began sticking to the windshield. It was a heavenly moment with my father and all of my favorite things: Ravel, autumn leaves and rain!

Deciduous Forest of Illinois, Photo by Kathy Vilim

There were other happy moments on my vacation, as well, like looking out of my brother's patio door, and hearing the distinctive pitter patter of... is that rain? Yes! And it was the first rain I'd seen all year living now as I do in drought-stricken Southern California. The rain began softly but steadily and continued for hours, growing louder as time went on, bringing with it the familiar smell that told me I was back home in Illinois.

Then there was a walk through the woods, down a trail through a forest of deciduous trees with their yellow leaves. Ah, I thought, now THIS is familiar, not just visually, but the smell of the forest, the closeness of the trees on either side of the trail. The trail went on, turning this way and that, and I had no way of knowing where it led.  I just followed it, deep in thought, crunching leaves underfoot as I did so, with my father. 

I remember thinking to myself: My father is still with me! Here with me right now. After 10 years I am walking next to him and talking to him.  And it seemed as if it were just yesterday that I'd been with my mom & dad.  It was as if all those years away never existed. I thought I missed my aging parents, but at that moment I realized just how much.  And how much I missed the whole place, my home where I grew up in Illinois, and the prairies with their tall, swaying grass turning brown and golden.

Naperville River Walk, Photo by Kathy Vilim

Just now, I hear seagulls crying out, as if to say, "Don't forget us! You'll hear no more of us back there!" Chiding me. Yes, it's true, I do love to wake up to the sound of seagulls...

Yes, life happens while we are busy making other plans. So, if a visit to your aging parents is in order, I encourage you to make a Resolution to see them. I think you will be glad you did.

Happy New Year's Resolutions!

Gardening In the Line of Fire

Manzanita's spring blossoms, of the Genus Arctostaphylos

December 4, 2017: California seems to be on fire.  Everywhere. It started last week when Santa Ana winds stirred up a wildfire in Ventura, California, just to the north of Los Angeles County. I was on my way up to Santa Monica to take care of some business at the courthouse there.  Everyone was talking about the fires. It was a warm, dry day, more like summertime than Christmastime. The sky was hazy and girls passed by with masks over their faces, so as not to breathe in too much ash and particulates. The golden sun took on a new color. It was just the beginning of what would become the week ahead.

My car radio was alive with chatter about how this was not the fire season: It is too late in the year and fires are supposed to be over.  "Newbies" to Los Angeles had to call into the radio station to put in their "two cents," annoying me with how they know all about living in LA.  "This is what it's like living in LA: you never know when there might be a fire and we are always living with this danger..." much like folks back East live with tornadoes or hurricanes or ice storms. I suppose that's what they meant. I wanted to call in and say, "No. This NOT normal for Los Angeles."

For one thing, we are in our 6th year of drought. Nothing is normal now. The trees are stressed. Aluminum has been sprayed on us day in and day out for weather modification... Ah, but that is a subject for another post.

As the car radio droned on, I started thinking about the backyard gardeners in Southern California. We all spend much time and money planning our landscapes: shopping for the right plants, learning where to place them, and how to care for them.  Then, should a fire appear out of nowhere and strike our neighborhood, causing evacuations, we have to leave our gardens behind. When we leave our houses, we leave our gardens, too.  And we don't know what we will come back to.

What a terrible feeling that is!  Even if the insurance companies reimburse you for your house, how do you replace the garden?  All that love and careful nurturing of your plants: they are like friends that cannot be replaced. The only choice is to start over. You assess the damages, decide what to keep and what cannot be saved, and you move on.  And that takes time and money.

So, now we come to why I am writing this blog post. There are things you CAN do to mitigate the destructive effects of wildfires on your garden and make the new garden stronger.  With a little bit of  research, you can make your new garden even more fire resistant!  I suggest you start with taking a look at which plants you choose to put in.

In Southern California there are native plants that are fire resistant and plants that are fire tolerant. There are a good many varieties of plants to choose from. You do not have to go with strickly a "cactus and succulent" garden if you don't want to.  I want to introduce you to some of the native plants I know of that would work well in your new garden.  Like the lovely Manzanita~ If you had a garden full of Manzanita, they would survive fires. Yes, they still burn, but they do not die. Instead, they grow back from a basal stump and eventually return to their enchanting pre-fire forms, producing sweet pink blossoms in spring that pollinators so enjoy.

After a fire, your garden will be void of much brush; it may look like a whole new palette to paint on. So rather than fill it with more plants that would be destroyed if wildfires should come again, consider using native plants that stand up to fire, plants that will be with you for a lifetime. It will make coming home after an evacuation that much less stressful. Your favorite plants might be charred and blackened. They might be smaller versions of their former selves. But they will continue to grow. And the wildlife that called them home will return, too. They will put out seeds that native birds rely on. The ecosystem will continue to thrive, and your garden will be reborn!

Remember, plant fire resiliant and fire tolerant native plants.  Look them up. Research your options.  I will post some great native choices in upcoming blog posts for you.  Because, I am a Southern California gardener, too.  I have lived in the chaparral & soft-scrub areas of the Santa Monica Mountains for most of my adult life. And I have seen what wildfires can do. I am no "newbie" to this place. And I am here to tell you, you can be strong. You can create a better and stronger garden that will last you a lifetime~ 

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