Woods and Forests

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

~~~ From “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer

Trees and woods make me nostalgic. They take me back home where there are so many trees around, with a captivating orchestra of birdsong, especially at dawn. The first blush of the early morn gives their leafy crowns a golden hue as the slivers of liquid gold fall on them. Another memory is that of a trip with Aathira and Praveen to the Arippa Reserve Forest in Kerala.

Day break at the Park. A lovely silhouette of trees reflected in the waters.  

Every morning as I go for my morning walk, I feel an exhilarating joy pervading my being as I walk along the tree-lined avenues. It’s a pond park with a rubberized walking track.

 

The rubberized walking track 

And now the Neem trees are in bloom. In the quiet and silence of the morning, all one can hear is bird songs and calls, though in Dubai there aren’t very many birds that I can see and hear, like back at home. I do see bulbuls, mynas, parakeets, crows, sparrows, lots of pigeons and doves, and rarely migratory birds. I love to start my day with these simple joys – one reason to love summers is that the sun rises by 5:30 a.m.

A winter visitor – Red Wattled Lapwing

Of late, I realize, trees have captured my imagination in a deep sort of way. The scented blooms of neem trees fill the morning air with a delightful fragrance that gives my spirits an instant high. I tend to be very mindful of these subtleties as I walk. I love sniffing the air that’s very high in oxygen content early in the morning. And the park is also not teeming with people at dawn – in fact there are just a few. Being connected and close to Nature is such a delightful and soothing experience.

 

That takes me to some of the articles that I have been reading about trees in general and forests in particular. One said that scientists and researchers have discovered that connecting with forests bring in amazing benefits. I can believe that. The Japanese even have a specific term for it: Shinrin Yoku*. It is said to be a practice in which people immerse themselves in the forest or literally ‘forest bathing‘. This has been found to be a wonderful way to cleanse oneself of stresses and negativity. Cleansing the mind thus rejuvenates the body and invigorates the spirit,  aids to improve immunity and strengthens healing power of the body.

It is also said that forests as well as other natural, green landscapes can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger and aggressiveness and increase overall happiness. Forest visits may also strengthen our immune system by increasing their activity as well as the number of natural killer cells that can even destroy cancer cells.

Do watch this amazing video on YouTube that so beautifully captures the magical healing power of forests. http://youtu.be/y-wHq6yY2CI

So, from the enchantment I seem to have developed for trees, woods and forests, it looks like am growing into being a Nemophilist. 😊 The word is derived from Greek  language: ‘Nemos’ meaning ‘grove’ and ‘philos’ meaning ‘affection’. So, nemophilist, a rarely used word, means ‘one who loves groves or woods’. Charles Augustus Keeler has used it in his Sequoia Sonnets, a collection of 113 lovely poems. The lines from the 6th sonnet titled ‘Heart’s Ease’ goes like this:
“The groves invite thee, dear nemophilist,
to care-free revel in their vernal bowers… “

Reference:
* http://wp.me/p7hH7A-c4

http://www.shinrin-yoku.org/shinrin-yoku.html