You can bathe a variety of different ways. In the US, most of us seem to take showers, with the occasional bath for relaxation purposes. You can visit spas or bathhouses. You can take a sponge bath when you’re sick. But have you ever tried to bathe… with the help of a forest?

Let’s get it all out on the table: The practice of forest bathing is actually more about a metaphorical or mental cleansing than a physical one, but it’s known to decrease stress and blood pressure, slow your heart rate, and improve general well-being. Simply put, forest bathing requires you to spend time in the woods. But you’re not hiking. You’re sitting or you’re wandering, but you can’t work too hard. You just hang out with the trees and relax.

“Don’t effort,” registered nurse and certified forest bathing guide Gregg Berman told Quartz.

"Close your eyes and just breathe, just breathe," certified forest therapy guide Melanie Choukas-Bradley coached NPR. "When you open your eyes, imagine you're seeing the world for the very first time.”

Though forest bathing has started to gain popularity in the US, the practice hails from Japan, where it’s been part of a national public health program since the 1980s. The country has conducted multiple studies that have revealed the benefits of forest bathing.

“Forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments,” concluded one study conducted by the Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences at Chiba University.

So the next time you feel stressed, take to the woods. It might be just what you need to feel like a whole new person.