Redwood Forest Meditation

Embark on a journey into the heart of the redwood forest—a space of deep stillness, connection, and renewal. Whether you've walked among towering trees before or are imagining them for the first time, this practice will guide you into a grounded and expansive presence. We open our awareness to the quiet vibrancy of the forest and sense the rooted strength of the trees, the interconnectedness beneath the soil, and the slow rhythm of life unfolding around us.

Take a deep breath, soften into the moment, and allow yourself to be fully present in this journey.

Transcript

We are going to do a practice today of going into the forest. So one of the things about that is that we might not have an experience of being in a redwood forest but we've all had experiences of being in the woods, Of feeling really calm and settled and still, And we've also all had the other type of experiences too where we're really distracted or afraid or there's other things. But what we're going to do here is we're going to step into this coming into our body to start and then for the next half hour we're just going to kind of explore this journey of being in a redwood forest. So start by taking a deep breath and breathe in through your nose and you might exhale through your nose or exhale through your mouth. You could look around the space that you're in. To get into the meditation you probably want to either have your eyes closed or your gaze soft so that your daily life visuals aren't really interfering with that. Just for now to notice that we're here and notice that we're doing a practice. We're looking forward to it perhaps otherwise we probably wouldn't be here. And allow your body to settle. So notice your experience in your body right now. Notice your feet and your seat. Notice the space you're in and let your body soften, Settle in, And we're about to go into the forest. Imagine yourself and if you've actually had the experience in any kind of a forest or a little group of trees, Especially if you've been in a forest of big old growth trees, Time really slows down. One of the forests that I was in, There's pathways through these forests and one of them there was a sign that said this is a quiet zone. Please don't speak until you're out of this particular part of the path so that everybody could enjoy the quiet. So even if you imagine that you're on this journey with other people, Let yourself sense into the feet on the ground, The stillness, Maybe there's been the sound of birds in the sky. Let's start with really sensing the solid earth. Right below your feet the earth is holding you, It's holding you steady. And from this foundation, Let yourself be aware of the immense height of the redwoods. There's the canopy several hundred feet above. Some of the trees are smaller, They're newer, Other ones are these old ancient trees. The bark is rough. Redwoods have a bark that protects them from fire. It's very thick, Several inches thick. And as you're letting your awareness blow up, Maybe you're standing in front of a particular tree, Let yourself, Let your awareness go up, Let your eyes go up into the sky. We have some solid branches and then some more slender branches, We have some leaves. And there's gaps between the leaves, The sunlight filters down, The dappled light on the trees. Let yourself really feel that you're grounded here on the earth. And with this vastness of the forest, Sense into the aliveness, The vibrancy. This forest is alive. Just as we're alive, We're in a body, The forest is also alive. As we breathe, We breathe in the oxygen. The trees are generous with their oxygen. The air smells really fresh. Smell the soil, The scent of the green, The dampness of the earth. And as we exhale, We're giving back our breath. We complete that exchange with the forest. We breathe out CO2, We breathe in the oxygen. Let's take some time here. Breathe, Notice the body, Notice the body of the forest as it's breathing. Let your body settle into a deep, Smooth breath. And without getting too much into the thinking mind, Attune with the exchange of breath, This beneficial relationship. As we breathe in, We breathe out. The trees give us the oxygen, They take in our CO2. There's a connection here. Sometimes when we're doing a practice, We'll notice that associated thoughts come into the mind. You might have a thought about the forests, The environment, What's happening now. So right now, That's not our focus. Right now, What we're working with is connection. Connection with the trees, With our breath. Anything that's not directly related to that, See if you could allow that to go to the background. Notice your surroundings. You might be sitting on a bench or a tree. You might be walking slowly. Notice the stillness. There might be sound like a woodpecker tapping in the distance, The rustle of a squirrel as it moves through the canopy. The forest has its own rhythm, Its own activity that doesn't disturb the stillness. Life is vibrant in the forest and the rhythm is slow and steady and timeless. Let yourself feel that rhythm in yourself. Your breath slows, Becomes continuous and smooth. Your heart settles. In your mind, Let yourself fully be there in the forest. We could also bring our attention to the roots beneath our feet. In a redwood forest, The roots are shallow. They're about the same distance in width as the tree is in height. So all of these trees in this forest, They form a vast interconnected network just beneath the surface of the soil. Let yourself sense into that. From the height of the trees, The roots extend out sideways. They share with each other nourishment, Wisdom, Strength. Let your energy connect into this network. Extend your awareness into the earth. Feel how that you are rooted, You're supported. You're part of this ecosystem. Maybe in your eyesight, In your mind, You see a tree that has been hollowed out. Its center is scarred by fire or by time. And yet it remains alive and vibrant. The leaves are lush, Resilient. This tree has scars and it thrives. You might imagine walking into that interior space if it's big enough. Looking up, Sensing the emptiness and that strong bark that surrounds you. Feeling the roots beneath the soil, Beneath your feet. These trees are strong and resilient. And as you come back outside of that container, Shift your awareness now to the light. Watch the light as it moves through the forest. See how it illuminates the trees in these slow shifting patterns. Some areas were shadowed, Now they're bright. And our lives can be like this, Shifting, Adapting. Notice the light as it moves through the trees, The forest, The leaves, The spaces. In this space, We're part of this forest. The life force that flows through the trees flows through us as well. The network of roots mirrors the connection in our body, In our mind. We are all intertwined, Trees, Earth, Light, Breath. There's no separation here. We are all part of this vast network. Let yourself sense into that in your body, Let your breath be still. And then let's dip into that slow energy flow of the trees. They've been living, Planted here in this forest for hundreds of years. Forest is more than a single tree. It's a connection. Let yourself feel into that energy flow, The time experienced by the trees in this forest. You might even move through a sense of history. When this tree was young, It was well before colonization in North America. There were no cars, There were no airplanes. For most of the life of this forest, There has just been the stillness, The movement of squirrels and animals and birds, Occasionally a person, A group of people. In your body, Feel into the sense of time, Experience in the forest. Sense of connection, Tree to tree, The leaves, The roots. Let yourself feel the energy of the earth and of the trees. Maybe you've put your body directly on the earth, Let go of your sense of separateness. Release any thoughts, Identification of my life, My scars. Let yourself be part of the expansiveness of the forest, Connected with the earth, The sun, The air, The trees, The water. Allow yourself to be held, To be part of this. Without really thinking about the timeline and the history, And take that in as we see some newer trees and some old ancient trees. Feel it in your body, In your whole being, Your field of energy. Let your breath take in the oxygen, Let your body soften. You're laying back on the earth. You might open your eyes in your imagination and take in the sky, The canopy, The moving branches. On the forest floor, We barely feel the breeze, And yet we can see the branches are moving, We get glimpses of the light of the blue sky. Allow your awareness to flow from the leaves and the smallest of the branches down towards the earth, Through the larger branches and the trunk with its thick, Rough, Protective bark, All the way to the earth where your body is resting, Supported. And sensing what's below, Inside the trunk, The sap flows upwards to the leaves and sky, And down into the earth, To the vast network of roots and earth. And in the earth, There's this network of mycelium, It's a vegetative part of fungi, This thread-like microscopic filaments that weave through the leaves and the trunk. They wrap around the roots, They penetrate some of the roots. Mycelium helps to break down the organic matter and releases nutrients, Which are then transferred up through the roots. And the sugars produced by the tree through photosynthesis are transferred back down into the roots. There's no scarcity here, There's this vast, Mutually beneficial relationship, We're all together here. And the mycelium also connects the roots of all the trees, Creates this underground network, The trees communicate with each other. A healthier tree transfers some of its energy to a struggling tree. Creates a stable ecosystem. Let yourself sense into that the movement of nutrients. Up and down in this single tree, Spreading out to all the trees in this forest. Mycelium extends for hundreds of miles through the earth. Let yourself sense into that activity of the soil. That quiet resilience, The collaboration that defines a forest. An unseen network that sustains life above and below the surface of the soil. Letting ourselves be nourished, Just knowing, Just sensing into that. This is also here. Sensing the stillness, Even with the activity, Even with the movement of nutrients, Of energy. Let your awareness of time slow down. And allow your awareness to extend deeper into the earth, Below the level of soil, The roots, Aquifers of water. Let your self-awareness go down into the rocks, The bedrock, The minerals. And let your mind, Your awareness, Your energy, Slow to the timing experienced by the rock, Mother Earth. The movement on this layer of the earth is very slow. Time moves slow here. There's heat, Cooling, Shifting, Settling, That can happen over centuries. Let yourself rest in the stillness. Be below the forest floor. There's no sense of urgency. If your mind is going up to the surface, See if you could allow it to come back. Maintain this spaciousness of time, Of stillness. Let yourself rest here and be nourished. Feel the strength, The stability. And then expand your awareness again to include the bedrock up to the soil, With all of that movement of nutrients, Energy, The surface layer of the soil. Maintain this spaciousness, This slow sense of time. Become aware of the movement of breath in your body. In your mind, Look up to the forest canopy, Through the strong, Tough bark on the trees, The movement of small animals and birds, The sun that's filtering through the trees. Feel the air on your skin, The warmth of the sun, The steadiness of the ground supporting and holding you. Let yourself remember your own vastness. Let yourself remember resilience, Strength. We are part of this whole. Supporting your body on this floor with the forest and the redwoods. Let yourself breathe. Let your body be relaxed and soft. Let yourself experience this. If your mind starts to come in with some thoughts, Allow yourself to witness those, But not get very engaged with them. It's just thoughts. Stay attuned to the stillness in your body, Your whole energy field. When you begin to breathe a little bit more deeply, Open your eyes, Move your body a little bit. Knowing that anytime we can come back into this experience of stillness, We can sense into that aliveness, The stillness in the redwood forest. Take your time as you come out of the practice. If you could give yourself at least a few minutes, Slowly moving your body, Moving your eyes around a bit, Maybe connecting with your body through touch. Noticing what your experience was and what still lingers. To send some appreciation to yourself for being here and doing this practice.

Reviews

Dear Lynn, Thank you for this deeply sustaining practice. It reminded me where I came from and where I will return to. 🙏🏽