Breathing With Trees

Hi everyone and welcome to this exploration inspired by the incredible redwoods up in Northern California.

To start out,

I'll invite you to sit in a way that feels comfortable to you and place a hand with your palm over your heart.

And we'll start just by bringing some gentle attention to the breath.

Very aware with each inhale that this is you inhaling.

And very aware with each exhale that this is you exhaling in this moment.

And as you breathe just imagine that you are standing in a magnificent circle of redwoods,

A cathedral of redwoods with the trees arcing up towards the sky.

And as you gaze up at these trees,

Bringing awareness that they are in fact one ancient organism.

That this circle of trees started as one tree at the center.

And now they all share a root system and they share one heart.

Just take a nice deep breath in and release it.

And release it.

You can go ahead and approach one of these ancient trees,

Each one 1800 or 2000 years old.

And as you approach you place your hand against the bark of this tree and feel the texture of the trunk.

Feel its roughness against your skin.

And as you become acquainted with the trunk of this tree you can also become aware of the roots beneath you.

Under the earth,

Humming and thrumming with a very gentle energy.

As nutrients are exchanged with other trees with the soil.

And as you become acquainted with this tree,

You can bring awareness that each breath is a deep act of exchange with the tree.

So as you breathe in,

You're breathing in oxygen that has come from this tree.

And as you exhale,

You're giving the tree carbon dioxide to transform into energy.

Go ahead and take a nice deep breath with that awareness,

Breathing with the tree.

Go ahead and breathe in.

And release.

And now staying connected with the tree we can travel backwards in times,

Back 100 years,

500,

1000,

1500 years,

2000 years until you and this tree together are a small seed in the earth.

Everything around you is darkness.

And you have no sense of what may await you.

You have a small awareness that there are other seeds around you but you can't recognize them yet.

In the midst of this uncertainty you feel a strong invitation to break open.

To set roots down into the earth and to grow up through the soil.

And so with a shrug of energy your seed splits open,

You split open.

And for the first time,

Small roots feel the richness of the earth,

The heartbeat and vibration of the land.

And a small shoot finds its way through the soil and breaks through the surface.

What is it to feel the light of the sun for the very first time?

To feel a gentle breeze against your skin.

And time passes 10 years,

20 years,

50 years and your trunk starts to thicken and grow as you accumulate experience starting to connect with other beings,

Other trees around you.

Starting to exchange information.

And another 10,

20,

50,

100 years passes and now you're getting taller.

Becoming aware of other beings in the growing forest around you.

Some take up residence on your branches and your trunk.

Some crawl around the roots.

And as time passes you become more acquainted with the quality of the air around you.

As you get taller and taller your roots grow deeper and deeper.

So that you're connected with all of the trees around you and through them to the entire forest.

And more time passes.

200,

300,

400 years and you grow taller and taller.

What do you notice as the time moves onwards?

What changes do you feel in the winds and the air?

As your trunk thickens,

What is it to witness the passage of centuries,

Of millennia?

As we move into the 20th century and now you tower above the forest 100,

200 feet tall.

Your trunk wide and solid,

20 to 30 feet in diameter.

And your roots inextricably connected to the land.

More time passes.

You feel the heat of fires ravage the land.

And yet you continue to grow upwards,

Your roots deepening and strengthening until finally it is today.

You stand tall,

Waving.

Your branches ever so gently in the breeze.

Feeling the soil beneath you and there.

Right at the base of your trunk.

Standing just above the roots that began their journey into the earth 2,

000 years ago is a small figure.

A human with their hand against your trunk.

Feeling the texture.

And you can feel this tiny young being breathing with you.

Taking in the oxygen that you provide.

And giving carbon dioxide in return.

And as you become aware of this tiny creature,

There's a message that wants to be communicated.

What is it that this human needs to know in this moment?

What wisdom can you provide from 2,

000 years of growth and connection and breath?

Take a moment to allow this message to communicate through your roots,

Through your bark,

Through the oxygen.

And as the human standing at the base of this ancient being.

Allow yourself to receive any message or any wisdom that may want to be communicated in this moment.

And take a nice deep breath in.

And release it.

And staying connected with this tree.

With this next breath,

Communicate deep gratitude for the journey of the past 2,

000 years.

And for any wisdom that may have found its way to you during this exploration.

Take a nice deep breath in.

And release.

And one last nice deep breath.

Deep gratitude to this tree and deep gratitude to your own heart.

Breathe in.

And release.

Thank you for taking the time to play with this exploration.

You may want to journal for a few minutes.

And you can always come back and visit with the tree again anytime.

Thank you for listening.