I tried 'forest bathing' - the Japanese ritual that science suggests could reduces stress

My hiking boots sank into the dampened earth as me and my fellow "forest bathers" climbed a trail in Muir Woods, a redwood forest located 12 miles north of San Francisco. Even though I did not dress for rain and my feet blistered, I felt unusually calm.

The Japanese practice of forest bathing - basically, just being among trees - is starting to catch on in the Bay Area, where stressed-out locals seek natural remedies to improve their physical and mental wellness. It didn't feel any different from hiking, though we were instructed to quiet our inner monologue and cell phones and immerse ourselves in nature.

In 1982, Japan's ministry of forestry elected to make forest bathing part of a national public health program. The agency believed spending time in nature would promote heart health and wash away stress. After investing $4 million in research, it had the science to back it up.

More than 30 years later, San Francisco's Forest Bathing Club cropped up as an outgrowth of this trend. I recently joined the Meetup.com group in a retreat to see what the buzz is about.