The Healing Power of Trees: The definitive guide to forest bathing

*2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Honorable Mention*

'I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.' – Henry David Thoreau  

'A must-read for anyone who's seeking a more peaceful existence.' – Woman's Own

'This guide brings the restorative power of nature into your home.' – Countryside Magazine
 
From Thoreau and Nietzsche to Aristotle, history’s greatest thinkers have long celebrated the healing power of the natural world. But forest bathing is more than just a walk in the woods – it’s the mindful practice of reconnecting with nature through your senses, and The Healing Power of Trees is here to show you how. 
 
Recent research shows that just 15 minutes outside can enhance mood, concentration and physical health. This beautifully crafted guide reveals the unparalleled health benefits of the great outdoors, with the experts at The Forest Bathing Institute leading you on a journey of healing through forest bathing. 
 
The book includes both practical guidance and advice on addressing key challenges such as:  

• Easing depression and anxiety
• Lowering stress
• Improving energy levels  
• Boosting your immune system   

The Forest Bathing Institute has spent years collaborating with universities and governments to research the benefits of this practice and train practitioners to share them. Now, its founders present their unique method in this stunning guide – an essential gift or self-purchase for anyone ready to reconnect with nature.  
 
Packed with expert insights and captivating photography, The Healing Power of Trees not only helps you plan your next forest bathing trip but also brings the restorative power of nature into your home.  
 
For more ways to connect with nature, discover other books in the series, The Healing Power of Water and The Healing Power of Sound.  

The Forest Bathing Institute (TFBI) was founded by Gary Evans and Olga Terebenina, who set out to advance the Japanese practice of Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) in the UK, and started a programme of research dedicated to replicating the original physiological research carried out in Japan.  Gary and Olga are peer-reviewed authors and are committed to furthering research into the effectiveness of this nature-based therapy.

In just a few years TFBI has grown to over 50 guides across the UK with many more in training.  It has established links with over 20 universities, and numerous research programmes are underway. The Institute also works hard to raise awareness of the effectiveness of Forest Bathing+ and works closely with local and central government, charities and key policy makers to make Forest Bathing+ available to as many people who can benefit as possible.

Dominick Tyler’s photography career started in student media while he was studying Philosophy at UCL and quickly led to freelance work for national newspapers. In the years that followed, he built up a long list of editorial, commercial and NGO clients. 

His long-term project The Edge of Two Worlds, documenting the changing lives of a community of Innu in northern Canada, won the Marty Forscher Fellowship Award for Humanistic Photography in 2005, and second place in The Observer Hodge Award in 2004. This work was published internationally and exhibited in the Leica galleries in Frankfurt and Solms, and in the Proud Gallery in London. 

In 2007, Dominick collaborated with writer Kate Rew on the best-selling book Wild Swim, which was credited with launching an outdoor swimming revival. Dominick wrote and photographed Uncommon Ground, which was published by Guardian Faber in 2015 to wide acclaim – described by George Monbiot as ‘…an astonishing book of heart-wrenching beauty, which will re-ignite your enchantment with the natural world.’

Rosanna Morris has worked in the realm of print for over ten years. She first got excited about relief print at the age of 18 during her foundation diploma at the Bristol School of Art. During the course she took a trip to Paris where she encountered inspiring large-scale street art around the city. Once home, she wanted to make her drawings big and began carving huge life-size woodcuts of British farming and pasted them on abandoned walls around the city.

She went on to study Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts, where she developed her own unique style, evoking the traditional feel of British Wood Engravings within the aesthetic of contemporary illustration.