What in the world is forest bathing?

Ask the average passerby to define "forest bathing," and if the first reaction isn't a blank stare, the offered definition is apt to miss the mark by a fair distance.

Missie Wikler, owner of r'oming yoga in Bend, is a certified forest therapy guide and RYT Yoga Instructor. She explains forest bathing as, "A practice where participants bathe themselves in the forest atmosphere. There is no water involved in this practice and the bathing refers to immersing oneself in the phytoncides, a group of chemicals which plants use to communicate with each other. Scientists are finding that our bodies res...