Love forest bathing, or just getting started with it? Forest bathing books can teach you all about this restorative practice and help you get even more out of the experience. Below, we introduce you to some of our favorite forest bathing books.
Our Favorite Forest Bathing Books
We’ve selected some of the best books on the topic of forest bathing. For each book, we’ve given you the highlights, the author’s credentials, and the intended audience for the book.
From scientific research to inspiring stories and practical how-to books, there is something for everyone. We hope this list will help you find the right book to learn more about forest bathing and get the most out of the experience.
Contents
- 1. Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness
- 2. Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature
- 3. The Healing Magic of Forest Bathing: Finding Calm, Creativity, and Connection in the Natural World
- 4. Forest Bathing Retreat: Find Wholeness in the Company of Trees
- 5. The Joy of Forest Bathing: Reconnect With Wild Places & Rejuvenate Your Life
- 6. The Living Forest: A Visual Journey Into the Heart of the Woods
- 7. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from A Secret World
- 8. The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature
- 10. A Little Book of Japanese Contentments: Ikigai, Forest Bathing, Wabi-sabi, and More
- 11. Forest Therapy: Seasonal Ways to Embrace Nature for a Happier You
- Read Related Forest Bathing Articles
1. Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness
About the Book:
If you are interested in medical research into forest bathing, this book by Dr. Qing Li is a great introduction to some of the practice’s many health benefits.
Along with densely packed information, the book also features 100 color photos of forest scenery from all around the world to enjoy.
About the Author:
Dr. Qing Li is described as “the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine.” He works as a medical doctor at the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo and is one of the founders of the Japanese Society for Forest Medicine. He holds leadership roles in the International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine and the Task Force of Forests and Human Health as well.
Intended Use:
This book offers an excellent all-around introduction to the practice of forest bathing, with a focus on the science behind it. It is a must-read if you want to discover the data on how forest bathing can transform your life as presented by the field’s leading expert.
2. Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature
About the Book:
If you are looking for a book that is short and sweet and to the point about forest bathing, this is it. It provides you with practical advice for how to get started, but it speaks to the reader with a poetic, compelling voice. This book also keeps the focus on nature, not just the reader, by urging the reader to spend more time communing with nature as a form of activism.
About the Author:
M. Amos Clifford founded the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy as well as the Sky Creek Dharma Center. He is a psychotherapist who also works as a forest guide. Additionally, he practices Zen meditation and brings that spiritual tradition to his work with forest bathing.
Intended Use:
This book is good if you want a relatively short read, and you prefer it to be practical and down-to-earth.
3. The Healing Magic of Forest Bathing: Finding Calm, Creativity, and Connection in the Natural World
About the Book:
This book is one that focuses on the mystical healing possibilities of spending time in the forest. The author brings attention to what she calls “the mystery of existence,” and how you can access it through forest bathing.
About the Author:
This book is authored by Julia Plevin, founder of the Forest Bathing Club. She has worked for over a decade as a forest bathing guide. Her work is also informed by her spiritual studies into a wide range of traditions.
Intended Use:
If you are intrigued by the mystical and spiritual aspects of forest bathing, this book may be for you.
4. Forest Bathing Retreat: Find Wholeness in the Company of Trees
About the Book:
This beautiful book combines stunning photos of the forest with selections of writing by poets, scientists, naturalists, and others.
About the Author:
The author of Forest Bathing Retreat: Find Wholeness in the Company of Trees is poet Hannah Fries. She also wrote a collection of poetry called Little Terrarium.
Intended Use:
If you are in search of a coffee table book about forest bathing, this book is perfect. It also can make a nice gift for a newcomer to forest bathing, or you can bring it with you on your forest baths for quick moments of inspiration.
5. The Joy of Forest Bathing: Reconnect With Wild Places & Rejuvenate Your Life
About the Book:
In this book, the author shares her story with you while also teaching you more about the cultural background of forest bathing as well as what scientific research has to say about its benefits.
About the Author:
Author Melanie Choukas-Bradley is a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs. Some of the organizations she has worked with while leading forest bathing walks include the Audubon Naturalist Society, Smithsonian Associates, and the Nature Conservancy.
Intended Use:
If you want to view forest bathing and its possibilities through the eyes of a naturalist, you will enjoy this book.
6. The Living Forest: A Visual Journey Into the Heart of the Woods
About the Book:
This book explores the forest’s ecology with poetic descriptive writing combined with more than 200 full-color photographs.
About the Authors:
This book is a collaborative work between Joan Maloof and Robert Llewellyn. Maloof founded the Old-Growth Forest Network and is a biologist. Llewellyn is a landscaping photographer.
Intended Use:
This book is a good one to read if you want to learn more about the forest as a living, breathing ecosystem. It is also a good read from an activism standpoint, as it explains why preserving forest environments is critical for our broader global ecosystem.
7. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from A Secret World
About the Book:
This book teaches the reader more about how trees function as communal organisms. You will learn that they even send signals to one another, and engage in surprisingly complex behaviors.
About the Author:
This book is the work of author Peter Wohlleben. Currently, Wohlleben runs an eco-friendly woodland, having previously spent more than two decades hard at work for the German forestry commission. The forward to the book is written by conservationist Tim Flannery, who focuses on climate change.
As the book was originally written in German, it was translated to English by Jane Billinghurst.
Intended Use:
If you are interested in serious science but enjoy that science presented in a way that is accessible, fun, and imaginative, you will probably get into this book. It will deepen your appreciation of life forms that are very different from us, but upon which we depend for a functional ecosystem.
8. The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature
About the Book:
This book unites the experiences of forester Peter Wohlleben with scientific research to teach the reader more about the lives of trees and how those lives connect to our own. As with his book The Hidden Life of Trees, it helps the reader to form a more solid bond with the forest.
About the Author:
This is another book written by German forester Peter Wohlleben and translated by Jane Billinghurst.
Intended Use:
If you want to explore the relationship between human beings and the forest, this book by Peter Wohlleben is an insightful read.
9. 100 Things To Do In A Forest
About the Book:
You can get a pretty good idea of what this book consists of just from its title. True to its name, 100 Things to do in a Forest introduces you to 100 different activities you can enjoy in the woods.
About the Author:
Author Jennifer Davis is a forest educator, while illustrator Eleanor Taylor is a graduate of the Royal College of Art and the Norwich School of Art.
Intended Use:
If you want to discover more you can do in the forest beyond taking forest baths, 100 Things to do in a Forest will give you some ideas for your next woodland outing.
10. A Little Book of Japanese Contentments: Ikigai, Forest Bathing, Wabi-sabi, and More
About the Book:
Readers who want to put forest bathing in its cultural context may enjoy reading about it in conjunction with other philosophies and practices from Japan. This book introduces the basic concept of forest bathing along with ikebana, Ikigai, and more.
About the Author:
Author Erin Niimi Longhurst is a UK-based blogger. Illustrator Ryo Takemasa hails from Tokyo.
Intended Use:
This would make a nice coffee table book—something to pick up and read snippets of here and there. The sections are short, and each covers a different topic (exactly what you might expect from a blogger).
11. Forest Therapy: Seasonal Ways to Embrace Nature for a Happier You
About the Book:
Most books about forest bathing focus on going out into the woods and assume that the season is ideal and the forest is nearby. But this book goes further by suggesting ways you can bring the forest to you if you need to. With hundreds of activities in total, there should be something for everyone.
About the Author:
Author Sarah Ivens is a certified life coach and a journalist. She has previously written other books on wellness topics and has been published in the New York Post, GQ, Marie Claire, and other publications.
Intended Use:
This book may be suitable if you live in the city or suburbs with no forest access, and/or the climate is too harsh for regular forest excursions. A lot of the recommended activities are aimed at children, however, so it is most appropriate for readers with kids.
Enjoy Reading Forest Bathing Books and Learning More About This Beneficial Practice
We hope you enjoyed this list of forest bathing books. To get any of these books now and take the next steps in your forest bathing journey, click on any of the links in this article.
