Table of Contents
A Green Twig in Your Heart 7
What is Shinrin-yoku? 12
Part 1 Paradise Lost 20
Our Disconnect with Nature 22
Stress in the City 26
Blue Zones, Green Cities 31
Part 2 Return to the Garden of Eden 38
The Bodhi Tree 40
Hanasaka Jiisan. The Old Man Who Made the Dead Trees Blossom 44
The Sages of the Bamboo Grove 48
Trees of the Celtic Forest 51
Thoreau's Adventure 57
Part 3 The Science of Shinrin-Yoku 62
What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger 64
The Healing Powers of Phytoncides 69
Part 4 The Philosophy of Shinrin-Yoku 82
Shinto Spirits 84
Yugen 94
Komorebi 98
Wabi-sabi 102
Part 5 The Practice of Shinrin-Yoku 108
Return to the Forest 110
The 5 Steps of Shinrin-yoku 120
Mindfulness in the Outdoors 126
Part 6 Shinrin-Yoku at Home 132
A Green Home 134
The Sounds of Nature 142
A Leaf from the Forest in Your Cup 147
Epilogue 152
The 10 Principles of Shinrin-yoku for Everyday Living
Bibliography 154
Acknowledgements