Haldwani: First Forest Healing centre of the country has been opened at Kalika region of Ranikhet in Almora district in Uttarakhand.
It is spread over an area of around 13 acres and draws inspiration from Japanese technique of forest bathing (shinrin - yoku) and ancient Indian traditions.
The Forest Healing centre has been developed by the Research Wing of Uttarakhand Forest Department after a research on healing properties of the forests and its revitalizing impact on overall health and well being. It involves many activities like forest walking, tree hugging, forest meditation and sky gazing.
It has been found that because of typical molecular vibration patterns of trees, tree hugging has a very beneficial impact on increase in level of feel good hormones like oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine, creating pleasant effect as in countries like Iceland, forest department has been making efforts to facilitate this activity for benefit of health purpose of local citizens.
This healing centre has been established in a pine dominated forest as it has been found in various studies that coniferous like Pine trees emit certain oils compounds to safeguard themselves from various microbes & pathogens, which are called phytoncides.
The Healing centre also maintains a register in which visitors can share their experiences. Various self explanatory boards explaining these four activities in a simple language have been placed at the very entrance and also the instructions for leaving behind a phone, camera or any other destruction and also resist talking, if people move in groups. For forest meditation and sky gazing exercise tree platforms have also been created at the centre. (UNI)