People 'bathe' in nature to get respite from chaotic news cycle

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — For two hours, Claire Jefferies wanted to get away from the war in Iran and the rising gas prices and just commune with nature. And, so, she treated herself to a little forest bathing.

“When I’m here, it’s almost like a protective bubble around me," the human resources director said amid oaks and flowering magnolias at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina. "It provides a shield.”

The Sunday morning session was led by certified forest therapy guide Shawn Ramsey. Jingling a tiny brass bell, she called her dozen or so charges to gather for meditation, breathing exercises and to commune with nature.

“I invite you to really spend the next 10 minutes just exploring this area," she said, her own eyes closed. "Really focusing on your breath, on your footsteps. All the natural sounds around you. Maybe the manmade sounds, too. Thinking about the forest’s natural rhythm and how are part of that here in this urban, forested environment.”

Based on the Japanese wellness practice of Shinrin-yoku, the activity has been known to reduce stress, improve mood, lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.

Although the arboretum is in a busy section of a growing city, Ramsey said the benefits of tuning out and getting in touch with nature are the same. She led the group of about a dozen through the various gardens, having them crush conifer twigs between their fingers and smell them, or just touch trees.

“You know, in this day and age, there’s a lot of stress and anxiety and chaos," she said. "And people are searching for ways to kind of cope with that.”

Transportation safety researcher Alan Mintz came with a friend. He had to be reminded to leave the talk of news at the entrance.

“I think it’s important for people to take the opportunity to exist in natural spaces, both to unwind and relax, so that it can be easier to interact with other people,” he said as he stood in the dappled light filtering through the trees. “And to take a moment to appreciate beautiful things. That way, hopefully, they can carry that forward and have more of an appreciation for other people and other cultures that they might be less experienced with.”

Jefferies had to remind a friend to stop talking about news as they walked beneath the gently waving canopy.,

“That focus back into spending time in nature and the healing power of that, and just remembering that we’re part of something bigger, that we’re all connected,” said the mother of a 9-year-old son. “And that what we do in our actions that we take really matter to the rest of the world. And so there’s no better place to see that than here, where you can see all of the interconnectedness and the ways that this plant life naturally supports one another. Doesn’t take more than they need.”

Forest therapy guide Shawn Ramsey rings a tiny brass bell during a "forest bathing" session at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

A man meditates with his eyes closed during a "forest bathing" session at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Claire Jefferies reads a book in the crotch of an oak tree during a "forest bathing" session at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Forest therapy guide Shawn Ramsey, far right, leads a "forest bathing" session in a walled Japanese garden at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Alan Mintz smells a crushed conifer twig during a "forest bathing" session at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, N.C., on Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

BERLIN (AP) — Eintracht Frankfurt dropped World Cup hero Mario Götze and lost 2-1 at local rival Mainz in their Bundesliga derby on Sunday.

Paul Nebel scored both goals for Mainz, grabbing the winner in the 89th minute to set off wild celebrations and deal Frankfurt its second defeat under new coach Albert Riera.

Nebel opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Nathaniel Brown responded for Frankfurt in the 20th, then Nebel fired home the rebound after Frankfurt ’keeper Michael Zetterer saved Nelson Weiper’s header.

Götze’s omission prompted questions for Riera before kickoff, when the Spanish coach asked which of his players should make way for the former Germany star to be in his squad after Arthur Theate, Can Uzun, Younes Ebnoutalib and Ansgar Knauff all recovered from injuries.

“Name me one player,” Riera challenged his pre-game interviewer on broadcaster DAZN. “If I could take 21 players, he’d be included,” he said. “Mario also had some physical problems during the week and wasn’t always at 100%. And I had to make a decision about who the best players for the bench are.”

Götze, who scored Germany’s World Cup-winning goal in 2014, has featured sparingly for Frankfurt this season, making 18 league appearances over 27 rounds and completing only one full Bundesliga game. He didn’t appear at all in Frankfurt’s last two games and seems to have lost some standing under Riera compared to the previous coach, Dino Toppmöller, who was fired in January.

Mainz’s win lifted it six points above St. Pauli in the relegation zone.

Igor Matanović returned to St. Pauli and scored twice for Freiburg to win 2-1 and leave his hometown club stuck in the relegation playoff spot.

Danel Sinani opened the scoring but St. Pauli was unable to add any more, and Matanović equalized in the 65th before tucking home a rebound for the winner in the 78th. The Croatia forward refused to celebrate out of respect for his former club.

“I was able to play here for 13 years. I was here as a small kid, I was in the stands, then a ball boy. I really enjoyed being able to play here today,” Matanović said. “When I came out on the field before everything started, the fans gave me a really warm reception and I appreciate that so much. Yeah, but today I have the Freiburg crest on my chest and I have to give everything for the club and that's what I did today.”

St. Pauli players wore jerseys in support of “Kein Bock auf Nazis,” an antifascist group fighting intolerance and right wing ideologies. The slogan loosely means “couldn’t be bothered with Nazis.”

St. Pauli's gesture came as the league displayed the slogan “ Together! Stop Hate. Be a Team ” across all games as part of an anti-discrimination campaign.

Stuttgart later had the chance to move third at Augsburg.

Also Sunday, Cologne fired Lukas Kwasniok as coach after a seven-game winless run, and Borussia Dortmund parted with sporting director Sebastian Kehl after they reached what the club called an “amicable” decision.

Bayern Munich leads the Bundesliga by nine points and is closing in on its 13th German championship in 14 years.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Frankfurt's head coach Albert Riera gestures during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1.FSV Mainz 05 and Eintracht Frankfurt in Mainz, Germany, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)

Mainz' Paul Nebel, right, scores the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1.FSV Mainz 05 and Eintracht Frankfurt in Mainz, Germany, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)

Mainz' Paul Nebel, left, and Frankfurt's Jean-Matteo Bahoya, right, challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1.FSV Mainz 05 and Eintracht Frankfurt in Mainz, Germany, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (Marc Schueler/dpa via AP)