“If you feel comfortable, go ahead and introduce yourself to the tree. Think of questions you want to ask,” the guide suggested.

I looked up at a striking maple in Eastman Nature Center and wondered, “How did your branches end up twisting and curving so much, making you stand out in the forest?”

It was just one of the ways forest therapy guide David Motzenbecker invited us to experience nature during an immersive, three-hour winter walk through the Maple Grove park.

The therapeutic walk — based on a Japanese practice called Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing — felt a bit like a guided meditation, and a bit like a very slow hike.

I had to wiggle my toes to keep them warm, but I was able to notice subtle details — the patterns in the sky of bare branches, tracks in the snow, a lone leaf fluttering in the wind — that I hadn’t paid attention to since I was a kid.

By the time our walk was over, Motzenbecker said we’d likely lowered our blood pressure by 20%. But forest bathing can do more than that. It has a significant positive impact on mental health, especially for those with depressive tendencies, and can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Forest bathing, a term coined in the 1980s, has gained attention around the world as a way to harness nature’s therapeutic power. But a simple walk in the park or even just sitting and carefully watching the activity at a backyard bird feeder can also have an impact.

During our Embrace Winter Challenge, the goal is to spend at least 30 minutes outside every day. During our final week, we’re asking you to try bird-watching or stargazing, two slower, quieter ways to experience winter.

Bird-watching has rocketed in popularity during the pandemic as a way to connect with nature. And the night sky has the power to give us perspective and engender awe.

“When you’re looking at the stars in the sky, you are an astronaut. Your view of the stars is no different than the view of the stars from the International Space Station,” said Mike Shaw, a St. Paul night sky photographer. Winter is an excellent time to stargaze, he said, because the night’s darkness arrives so quickly.

Nature as health partner

One hypothesis about why time in nature can be so healing is called biophilia — the idea that a connection to our natural surroundings has been helping us thrive since our early beginnings as humans.

The theory is that “it’s in our DNA that, as we evolved with plants in nature, that it’s a part of what we find not only satisfying, but stress- and anxiety-resolving,” explained Jean Larson, who developed the University of Minnesota’s Nature-Based Therapeutic Services, a partnership between the Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

Larson thinks of nature as a partner in her work, as she uses plants, animals and therapeutic landscapes to help patients who are recovering from a stroke or struggling with dementia.

“On a larger scale, landscapes, nature in general, become part of a public health intervention,” Larson said. “We’re seeing that quite readily now with COVID. Outdoors, in nature, where you can safely maintain your 6-foot distance from each other, is a place where people can come together and be a family and engage in connection and social activities.”

In addition to allowing us to connect safely with others, being in natural surroundings can reduce depression, anxiety and stress.

For the Embrace Winter Challenge, we’ve been pushing ourselves to get outdoors and be active in this underdog of a season. However, Larson said there are plenty of benefits to simply looking out a window.

“The mindful attention of sitting at a window and watching the birds, is to me engaging with nature,” she said.

“What I think is most important is appreciating the seasons, and appreciating what’s happening outside around you,” Larson added. “Nature is around us everywhere all the time, and we don’t recognize it. A big part is just opening your eyes and being aware of it.”