All my life,
I've been in love with trees.
Growing up in a deep forest of virgin pines,
I went to the trees for solace,
For safety,
To launch my dreams.
I've lived in cities where trees were an afterthought,
Dropped into concrete jungles and pitiful representations of themselves,
Yet they survived.
I've lived in cities where trees were focal points,
The heart of the city,
Full of life,
Giving that life back to us and our planet.
In this time of crisis,
When we're fearful of touching each other and isolation is wearing heavily on our hearts,
I think of the trees.
The flexible willow and bamboo moving with the wind and always adaptable,
Resilient.
I think of the great white pines of my childhood and of the magnificent redwood,
Strongly rooted in the earth,
Unmoving and unaffected by wind,
Rain,
Even raging fires.
I offer this meditation for the trees to know that we too are resilient,
Adaptable,
Deeply rooted in this beautiful earth.
Take a seat,
Will you?
In a chair or on the floor?
Taking in a few deep breaths to center yourself,
To ground yourself,
To bring peace.
Feeling your feet on the floor,
Pressing down towards the earth and the top of your head,
Reaching for the sky.
Your spine straight yet supple,
Ready to adapt to whatever comes.
Another breath and bring to mind a noble tree,
A tree you've encountered in your life.
See the branches,
The leaves,
The needles,
The silhouette against the sky.
Bring your focus to the texture of the bark on the trunk and the branches as if you could reach out and touch it.
Smell it,
The aroma of those leaves.
Now imagine yourself sitting at the base of this tree,
Its roots around you,
Underneath you,
And diving deep into the earth.
Feel the connection with this tree.
Feel the flow of life from the roots,
Absorbing nutrients from the earth and traveling up,
Up to the top of the tree,
Bringing it life.
Perhaps your tree is filled with all kinds of creatures,
Birds,
Squirrels,
Insects,
All who make it their home.
Now imagine that you too are connected deeply to the earth,
Sending down your own roots into the soil.
And now feeling that stress that you've been carrying around with you,
Starting at the top of your head,
All that stress flowing downward,
Down your neck,
Shoulders,
Down your arm and down your spine,
Your pelvis and your legs,
Into your feet where it encounters that ground.
And the earth absorbs that stress,
A feeling of release and flow and leaves you with a feeling of comfort and safety,
Connection with Mother Earth.
Know that even in times of chaos and calamity,
The tree gains strength from the earth.
And like the tree,
We can draw strength,
Comfort and nourishment from the earth.
We breathe in air that is cleansed by the trees.
Breathe deeply now.
Our exhalation feeds the trees too.
At times we forget that we're so connected to this earth,
This mother of all things,
But she is still here,
Ready to offer sustenance and kindly allowing us to flourish.
When we honor her,
We're like the trees,
Giving back as well as receiving.
The cycle of life continues,
And we know that we are all one.
Namaste.
Namaste.
