During the pandemic, our health finally took precedence over work and it is now the highest priority for Hong Kong people. Hiking once again became popular; however, it turned into quite a challenging activity for those who do not exercise regularly when the compulsory mask-wearing rules also applied in country parks for public health reasons. Apart from dynamic exercises such as hiking or running, there are some other quiet and alternative choices when we are in the country parks. Forest bathing (or shinrin-yoku) has a long history and proven effectiveness in countries such as Japan, South Korea and the UK. Amanda Yik found out about Forest Therapy — Forest Bathing put into practice as a nature-based intervention that targets specific mental health and physical health difficulties — by chance and became a certified Forest Bathing Guide. She now leads participants to feel the healing power of nature and guides them to entrust themselves to the natural world in order to cultivate self-healing.
The Enjoyment of Team Trainings in the Wild
Amanda has enjoyed soaking in nature since she was young; as a child she followed her father and grandfather to the mountains and seas. She hiked and canoed every weekend with friends when she was studying for her law degree, as she searched for a sense of freedom and openness, as well as ways to release stress and treasure moments with friends in nature. After graduation, even when work was busy, she still jumped at any chance to join as many competitions as she could, such as Oxfam Trailwalker or paddled her Hawaiian canoe around Hong Kong. She even flew to places like Japan, Melbourne and Belgium to participate in the Oxfam Trailwalker there. After walking a few different 100 kilometers races around the world, she realises Hong Kong offers the most abundant landscape with the best connected trails.
“Canoeing in the middle of the Victoria Harbour gave me a spectacular angle to look at the mountains in Hong Kong with the skyscrapers on the sides. The view of Hong Kong is distinctive and varied, for instance the surrounding is much greener after canoeing past Siu Sai Wan. In such a short distance there is such a wide variety of landscapes; it’s so unique in Hong Kong and there is nowhere else like this.” Amanda was still very excited when she talked about the competition of canoeing around the Island. Not only did she enjoy the competition itself, but also the practices, the camaraderie and achieving a mutual goal with her teammates. Together, they experienced the best scenery.
While Amanda and her team were having a great time competing, the doctor delivered news about her enormous tumour one afternoon in 2014, right after one of her canoeings. There had been no prior symptoms. Surgery was needed immediately, and all her outdoor activity ceased.
The Taste of Self Realisation in the Park
After the surgery, Amanda went through chemotherapy which worsened her body condition. Losing her favourite outdoor activities forced her to reflect on how she neglected how her body was feeling and she had not found an effective way to manage her stress. Once her body became accustomed to the treatment, Amanda started to take walks at a park, sometimes staring out at the sea or simply zoning out. At that time, she knew nothing about forest therapy, the only thing she knew was her time in nature was her most cherished moment of the day.
Two years later, Amanda read an article about forest bathing and she linked it to the experience of her sickness, it was then that she began to learn about the concept. She studied a related course from the U.S. and held her practicum in the rural area of Melbourne. The practices required Amanda to lead a small group to connect with nature by using the five senses in a spacious environment. Participants were encouraged to slow down, to listen, to touch and to learn the existing space in a repeated yet an in-depth way so as to learn about their own self.
“I made many friends when I was competing around nature, whilst forest bathing is to encourage people to visit the same place, to get to know the same tree from head to toe and to build a relationship with nature, similar to spending time to get to know a friend. Both experiences made me enjoy my time in nature more.” Aside from hiking, perhaps we can try a different pace to learn about our country parks from a brand new start.
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