Shinrin Yoku - Health & Wellbeing through Forest Bathing

23/12/2025

22/12/2025

The Netherlands is home to something truly unique: a living museum made of trees, plants, and centuries of knowledge.
In the heart of Amsterdam lies the Hortus Botanicus, one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, founded in 1638. What began as a small medicinal herb garden for doctors and apothecaries during the Dutch Golden Age slowly grew into a global collection of plant life. As Dutch ships traveled the world, they brought back exotic seeds and species from Asia, Africa, and the Americas, many of which were cultivated here for the first time in Europe.
Walking through the Hortus today feels like stepping into a living archive. Ancient trees, rare tropical plants, and historic greenhouses tell the story of science, exploration, and trade. Long before modern museums existed, places like this preserved knowledge in a different way — not behind glass, but alive, growing, and evolving with time.
Although it is not officially called a “tree museum,” the description fits perfectly. The Hortus functions as a place of research, education, and preservation, where nature itself becomes history. Nearly four centuries later, it still plays the same role: protecting biodiversity and sharing it with the world.
In the Netherlands, history doesn’t just survive in books and buildings — sometimes, it grows.

21/12/2025

27/11/2025

25/11/2025

"What I know of the divine science and holy scripture, I learnt in the woods and fields." ~ Bernard of Clairvaux

24/11/2025

Researchers found that human brain waves can sync with subtle electrical signals from trees during slow breathing in natural settings. The effect appeared strongest when people entered deep relaxation states. The study suggests that time in forests may tune the nervous system in ways scientists are only beginning to measure. It adds a new layer to how nature may calm the mind and body.

23/11/2025

22/11/2025

16/11/2025

11/11/2025

The forest looked alive — every branch twisting toward the light. 😍
📍 Yakushima Forest, Japan 🌿🌞