Yesterday morning, as I waited for my plein air workshop students at Wahconah Falls State Park, I read this post about shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing.’ That lasted until I realized the absurdity of sitting in nature reading on my phone about the benefits of sitting in nature.
Forest bathing is the practice of immersing yourself in a forest or other natural setting, not for exercise, but to take in the atmosphere with all your senses. I hate the term “mindfulness,” but that’s what it’s all about. The forest is your therapist, and it works for free. Forest bathing and plein air painting are very similar in goals and outcome.
The benefits of forest bathing
According to those who practice forest bathing, time in nature lowers the stress hormone cortisol, slows your heart rate, and helps your nervous system shift into a calmer state. Time spent in nature alleviates depression. Practitioners report they think more clearly and feel more creative after time in the woods.
This may be because trees release airborne compounds called phytoncides. These are natural antimicrobial chemicals that plants use to protect themselves. Breathing them in may enhance immune responses, reduce stress, and improve mood.
The air in the forest is generally cleaner than in urban areas. Gentle movement in oxygen-rich air can lower blood pressure and improve heart rate.
Forest bathing cultivates awareness of the sights, sounds, smells, and textures around you, building a deeper relationship with the natural world. Lower stress levels, more physical relaxation, and natural light exposure during the day can all help improve the quality of your sleep.
How do you do it?
Choose a natural area where you can wander without constant traffic noise or interruptions. Experts say to leave your phone behind, but that strikes me as dangerous; silencing it is enough. Forget about mileage or steps, and move at a slow pace. This allows you to engage your senses, to notice colors, shapes, and tiny details. Listen for bird calls, cicadas (which we heard yesterday) or the sound of water. An often-overlooked sense in the forest is smell. It’s one of my favorite things about walking in the woods.
Forest bathing experts tell us to stop periodically and be utterly still. Let your thoughts drift. Minimally, you want to spend 20–30 minutes, but ideally, seek an hour or more of woodland time. Forest bathers say to end this with gratitude; I certainly feel that after my daily hikes.
How does this differ from plein air painting?
It doesn’t. Plein air painting and forest bathing work on your body and mind in surprisingly similar ways.
They both slow you down, helping you absorb details of place without rushing. In plein air painting, you can easily focus on one scene for hours. You shift from going somewhere to just being in nature.
In both, you’re hearing birds, feeling the sun on your skin, smelling grass or salt air. A painter’s heightened visual observation parallels a forest bather’s full sensory awareness.
Forest bathing invites you to simply be in nature. Plein air painting almost forces you to engage with that, because you are concentrating deeply on the environment.
Both activities reduce stress and improve mood. The creative act of painting can also trigger “flow,” where time disappears and you feel deeply satisfied.
Ultimately, both deepen your relationship with the natural world. You give your time and attention, and in return nature offers beauty, calm, and inspiration.
Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:
- Advanced Plein Air Painting | Rockport, ME, July 13-17, 2026
- Sea & Sky | Acadia National Park, ME, August 2–7, 2026
- Find your Authentic Voice in Plein Air | Berkshires, MA, August 10-14, 2026
- New! Color Clinic 2026 | Rockport, ME, October 3-4, 2026
- New! Composition Week 2026 | Rockport, ME, October 5-9, 2026
Can’t commit to a full workshop? Work online at your own pace:
I remember that spot. Gorgeous!
I will always remember sitting at that picnic table with you.
Here is my conversation with Gemini AI …
While dedicated studies on en plein air painting are rare, a comparative study on the effects of viewing landscape paintings versus being in a park is highly illuminating. This research found that both activities led to stress reduction of a “comparable statistical magnitude.” However, the study also found that viewing a live park setting resulted in significantly lower physiological arousal (measured by skin conductance) than viewing a painting of a landscape.
This suggests that while the creative act of painting itself is therapeutic, the added dimension of being immersed in a real natural environment provides a unique and powerful physiological benefit. The combination of the creative process and the direct, multi-sensory experience of nature likely creates a synergistic effect that enhances the individual benefits of each.
In conclusion, while specific studies on the practice of painting en plein air are limited, the evidence from the fields of art therapy and environmental psychology strongly suggests that it offers a powerful combination of psychological and physiological benefits. The practice provides an outlet for creative expression and emotional processing while also harnessing the proven restorative and stress-reducing effects of nature exposure.
Sources
While direct studies on “painting en plein air” are rare, a few studies have begun to explore the synergistic effects of combining art and nature. Research suggests that a live, natural setting provides a more profound physiological benefit than simply viewing a painting of a landscape. The creative act, when performed in a restorative natural environment, likely combines the benefits of both. The artist’s mindful observation of nature’s beauty enhances the restorative experience, while the restorative state of being in nature can, in turn, enhance creative thinking and emotional processing.
Reference: This is an emerging area, but a good example of comparative research is: Meidenbauer, K. L., et al. (2020). The aesthetic value of nature: Not all nature is equally restorative. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 555627. This type of research, which compares real-world nature exposure to passive viewing of nature scenes or art, provides the best foundation for understanding the combined effect.
Thank you for the first (admittedly) AI-generated comment on my blog. Having said that, I think the argument is totally plausible.
Here’s an interesting educational You Tube conversation by an MD mainly focusing on sunlight, (including forest bathing) and its documented and clinical effects! (In a number of cases saving very ill people’s lives)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQJlGHVmdrA
Thank you!