Welcome,
Take a moment to settle in and find for yourself a position that feels comfortable,
Either seated or lying down.
Allow your hands to rest gently,
Your shoulders to soften and your jaw to unclench.
And then when you're ready,
Gently close your eyes or let your gaze soften if you prefer.
Take a few natural breaths,
Just as you are,
There's nowhere to go,
Nothing you need to change right now,
Simply arriving here,
Arriving now.
Now in your mind's eye,
Imagine yourself stepping into a grove of ancient trees.
Towering trunks rise all around you,
Their canopies woven into a living tapestry of green above your head.
The air here is fresh,
Vibrant,
Alive,
Tinged with the rich scent of soil and leaves.
You feel the quiet presence of the forest,
Timeless and vast.
And the deep stillness wraps around you like a soft blanket.
Find one tree that calls to you,
It might be a giant oak,
A graceful pine,
A steadysetter or perhaps a willow by a stream.
Approach it slowly,
Feeling a natural kinship,
As if this tree has been waiting for you.
And see yourself sit,
Leaning gently against the trunk of this tree.
Feel the solid support of the bark against your back and the earth beneath you.
Allow yourself to rest here,
Trusting in the strength of the tree.
Notice the tree's breath.
Although it may not seem so at first,
The tree is breathing,
Quietly,
Steadily,
Just as you are.
Begin to notice your own breath now,
Without changing it.
Feel the natural rhythm of air flowing in and flowing out.
As you breathe,
Sense the tree breathing too,
Taking in sunlight,
Water,
Earth and air,
Releasing what it no longer needs.
Your breathing and the tree's breathing begin to align,
Two rhythms merging into one.
In this stillness,
Remember,
The air you breathe out,
Rich in carbon dioxide,
Is the nourishment the tree needs,
And the air the tree breathes out,
Rich in oxygen,
Is the very air that sustains your life.
Breath by breath,
You are caring for one another.
Breath by breath,
You are engaged in a silent,
Sacred exchange.
You are not separate.
You and the tree are part of the same great breathing,
The same great living earth.
As you breathe in,
Feel yourself drawing in the tree's gift,
Pure,
Vibrant oxygen,
Rich with life.
As you breathe out,
Feel yourself offering something back,
A nourishment the tree gladly receives.
Inhale,
Receiving the gift of life.
Exhale,
Offering life in return.
Imagine now that the entire forest is breathing with you,
Every tree,
Every blade of grass,
Every leaf,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
A great and gentle ocean of breath flowing through the whole living world.
Feel the strength of your own body now.
Imagine roots growing down from your spine,
Reaching deep into the earth.
Feel the nourishment rising up through these roots,
Strength,
Stability and calm.
Like the tree,
You are steady.
Like the tree,
You are resilient.
And just like the tree,
You belong here.
Take a few more deep,
Full breaths with your tree companion.
Feel gratitude for this silent friendship the unseen support trees offer every moment of every day.
Know that even when you leave this meditation,
You carry this connection within you.
At any time,
You can return to the breath.
At any time,
You can breathe with the trees again.
And when you're ready,
Slowly bring your awareness back to the feeling of your body,
To the air against your skin,
To the sounds around you.
And then gently wiggle your fingers and your toes,
And when you feel ready,
Open your eyes.
