Tree Meditation

Nature is my teacher, my medicine, and my therapy. This is a beautiful self-reflective meditation based on the teachings of a tree. Based on the traditional mindfulness practice of a body scan, each body part resembles a part of a tree and inquires into our needs to flourish. This meditation is done to natural birds sounds.

Transcript

Welcome,

My name is Luke McLean and welcome to this nature based meditation.

This meditation is really based on the learnings of a tree.

When we see a tree in the forest,

There are so many teachings that we can gain from that and this particular sit is really looking at that and it looks at the tree and in the centre of every tree,

Any large tree anyway,

There's called the heartwood and the heartwood is the strength of the tree,

Right in the middle and on the outsides is the cambium which is a thin layer that protects the tree and then on the outside of that is obviously the bark which again protects the tree,

It protects the heartwood in here from the tree getting damaged.

So I feel like there's a lot of learnings from them when we think about meditation and we think about the self.

So this is a self-reflective meditation that really looks at us as a tree and what we really need to flourish and thrive,

Especially in a particular time that we're in where there's a lot of uncertainty.

So finding yourself a comfortable seated position.

Keeping the mouth closed gently and softly,

Back upright but you've got to be in a comfortable position,

Feet flat on the floor,

Legs crossed,

However works for you,

Hands wherever you like them.

Closing the eyes,

Just bringing gentle attention to the breath as it comes and goes on inhale and exhale.

Mind throughout the meditation wants to wander and drift off and get caught in past or future or feelings and emotions just noticing where the mind goes,

The attention wanders and gently coming back once you notice.

Taking in the sounds of the room that you sit,

There's a little bit of rain where I am,

You might be able to hear that.

Noticing the sounds coming and going,

Changing.

Bringing your attention moment to moment.

Move the attention to any smells that might be around,

In and out through the nose,

Taking in the sense with full attention.

You can't smell anything in particular,

Just bringing attention to the breath,

Going in and out of the nose.

Moving the attention now down into the feet,

Sense of touch and connection,

Feeling the feet fully,

Wherever they are,

Flat on the floor.

Feeling your awareness of that connection of the feet to the floor,

To the earth.

Things connected.

Feeling the toes,

The soles of the feet,

The ankles.

The upper foot,

The calves,

The shins,

The knees,

The hamstrings and quads,

Bringing full attention to the lower legs and upper legs.

Trying to visualize yourself as the tree we spoke about earlier.

The legs and the connectedness to the earth,

Being the roots in the trunk of the tree.

Fully connected,

Fully integrated into the world.

Roots in the trunk of the tree represent stability.

And within yourself that represents values.

So the reflective question,

As you visualize the trunk and the roots of the tree is what do you stand for?

What are your values?

What do you stand for as a person?

What do I stand for?

That visual of roots and trunk and stability,

Let that question wash over you for a moment.

What do I stand for?

Not needing to answer the question with thinking but just experiencing the question and letting it sit with you and observing any thoughts,

Feelings,

Emotions,

Stories that might come up.

Just watching what shows up for you.

What do I stand for?

What do I stand for?

What do I stand for?

Observing the responses,

The stories that come up and the questions asked.

Not needing to answer it right now but watch the feelings and emotions.

Moving the attention from the trunk and the roots into the abdomen,

The breath,

Rising forward the belly,

Bringing full attention as the belly goes up and down and inhale and exhale.

Taking the attention to the heart,

Lungs,

Liver,

Organs.

Feeling the energy of life coming through those vital parts of your body.

Moving your attention to the back and the spine vertebrae by vertebrae starting at the neck and bringing attention all the way down to the lower back.

Again the life force of the body,

The spine connecting nerves and everything from the upper body down to the legs.

Breathe.

Open awareness.

To the life force of your body.

The heart,

Lungs,

The belly,

The spine represent the heartwood of the tree.

The heartwood represents the strength,

The life of the tree.

Visualizing the energy,

The life force and the strength of your tree.

Reflecting on the questions of that strength of what are your strengths.

What are your strengths?

And the second part of the question is what,

Using those strengths brings you the most life,

The most energy,

The most vibrancy in your life.

What are your strengths?

What brings you to life?

What brings you to life?

Moving attention now down into the arms and the shoulders down past the biceps and triceps.

Being full attention as you move your attention down into the forearms and resting into the fingers.

Curious of where the fingers are and feeling the connection of the fingers right now.

And the arms in this visualization represent the branches of the tree.

The feet and the legs are the stability and roots.

The abdomen and the heart are the heartwood and the strength.

The arms and hands and fingers are the branches.

And the branches produce leaves and fruit and flowers and that's outcome.

So the visualization of the fingers and hands is action and outcome.

What are the actions,

Behaviors that I need to bring into my life to grow my tree and to give from my tree,

To bear fruit from my tree,

To give of service.

Connect to my strengths,

Connect to my values and my trunk and my stability.

What are the actions and behaviors that my tree needs?

What are the actions and behaviors that my tree needs?

What are the actions and behaviors that my tree needs?

And the actions and behaviors that my tree needs.

And the behaviors that my tree needs.

And finally resting your attention back at the breath,

Back at the nostrils,

Breathing in and out through the nose.

Feeling the breath deepen a little more,

Flowing into the belly,

Into the heartwood.

In this visualization the breath represents the bringing in of energy for the tree,

The nutrients of the tree,

The sun,

The rain.

And for your tree to truly flourish and grow and to be of most value,

What do you need to bring in to your tree,

Into your life from an energy perspective so your tree does grow and flourish into its most beautiful self?

And sitting with that question on what do you need to bring into your life to grow and flourish?

What do you need to bring into your being,

What do you need to consume and allow to grow and make you who you need to be?

As you continue to bring your attention to the breath and just visualizing breathing in those relationships,

Those environments,

Those connections that your tree needs and just visualizing them coming into your being,

Into your heart.

Spending a moment now to sit with your breath.

Just sit with yourself as the total tree,

However it looks for you.

Visualizing the roots in the trunk,

The heartwood,

The branches and then the environment,

The connections,

Relationships,

The ecosystem in which your tree can grow and flourish and just sitting with the full image,

The full view of your tree right now.

In a moment I'll ring a bell to end this meditation.

Stay seated.

Taking your time to open your eyes and come back into the space.

There's no need to rush.

Thank you.

God bless you.

Reviews

Thank you for this meditation where we embody the rootedness, strength, and beauty of the trees!

Amazing

I recommend this lovely meditation! Once you’re over the minutes chat at the beginning this guy takes you on a simple yet profound journey that I will definitely want to revisit from time to time. One wish, that at the end I had had a few minutes before he rang the bell to immerse myself in my tree-ness. Thank you 🙏🏼

Perfect 🌳🙏🌳

Loved this so much!!

Thank you for the lovely tree meditation. Two days ago I received a message from my Spiritual guide about a big oak tree. I could not help but think I happened upon this meditation to complete my inner growth and journey with the tree. Thank you. ♥️