Komorebi - The appreciation of the forest and the light

Intentionally absorbing Nature around us

A dance between shadow and light that we can all relate to – we explore the meaning behind komorebi, and the lessons it can teach us about mental health

Every time I look up from my desk, I see my favourite art print – The Shyness of Trees by Marcel George. Imagining you’re looking straight up towards the sky, the illustration depicts a canopy of trees with channel-like gaps between the crowns, caused by a phenomenon known as ‘crown shyness’. Whenever I look at it, I feel small in a wonderful way.

In real life, the space between the canopy and branches allows sunlight to gently filter through. In Japan, the dappled light this creates is called komorebi (pronounced koh-mo-reh-bee) and is made up of the kanji characters for tree (木), shine through (漏れ), and sun (日).

The contrast between sunlight and shadow, and the way the two dance, is a sight artists of all types try to capture – just look at Claude Monet’s Garden Path and The Olive Tree Wood in the Moreno Garden. The beauty of komorebi isn’t just skin- deep, however. The interplay of light and dark can teach us a thing or two about life and wellness.

For example, there can be times in our lives when we feel shrouded in shadow. Perhaps our mental health is suffering, we’re experiencing grief, rejection, or disappointment.

SOURCE: https://happiful.com/what-is-komorebi/