Life moves quickly and it's easy to feel disconnected from ourselves,
From each other,
From the world around us.
Thoughts,
Responsibilities,
And the quiet weight of the day can pull us away without us noticing.
This moment is a space to pause,
To breathe,
To set down what you've been holding,
To notice the tree beside you and feel the steady,
Quiet rhythm of life flowing through the world and through you.
Welcome to Breathing With Trees,
A guided experience for you to center on your breath and remember the connection you have with trees and nature.
You can do this standing next to or sitting against the tree of your choice,
But you can also do this indoors,
Either seated or lying down,
And just use your imagination.
So take a moment to get into a comfortable position and know that you can adjust it if needed.
Welcome any feelings,
Sensations,
Or images with kindness,
Non-judgment,
And a sense of new discovery.
Take this moment for yourself to connect within.
Allow your arms to rest naturally on your thighs or by your side.
Align your head with your spine.
Feel the weight of your body in this position and all the points of contact you have with your body.
Gently close your eyes.
Relax the muscles in your face,
In your neck.
Feel your shoulders drop down naturally,
Being pulled down by gravity.
Release your arms,
Your hands.
Feel the muscles in your back relaxing.
Release your chest and ribcage.
Feel your belly letting go and unwinding.
Relax your pelvis,
Your hips,
Your buttocks.
Release all the muscles in your legs and your feet.
And now feel that your whole body is fully relaxed.
I invite you to imagine yourself outdoors in a place of natural beauty.
It could be a place you know well or an imaginary place.
Or you may actually be outside,
In which case you can softly open your eyes to your surroundings.
Whether it be in your imagination or in real life,
Look around you and notice everything in your environment.
Observe the shapes and colors.
The light and shadows.
The vegetation.
Any reflections.
Pay attention now to the sounds in this place,
The echoes of nature.
Maybe there's some wind blowing through the trees.
Some birds singing.
Perhaps the gentle gurgle of water.
Or any other sounds that come to you.
Now in your imagination or in your real lived experience,
Breathe in and smell the air.
Notice all the fragrances,
The perfumes,
Any other scents that you can distinguish in this place.
The earth,
The flowers or other foliage.
And now use your sense of touch to touch the natural objects around you.
Rocks,
Plants,
Tree bark,
Bushes.
Notice the texture.
Feel whether things are humid or dry.
Rough or smooth.
Feel the air also on your skin and the temperature around you.
Tune into all the things you can touch.
The sensation of your clothes touching your body.
Everything.
Notice and welcome the positive feelings that you have in this place.
You see a tree that is particularly beautiful and you go to stand next to it.
Maybe you lean up against it or you sit at its base.
And if you are actually outside,
You may already be doing this.
Plant your feet on the ground.
Feel the earth underneath supporting you.
Imagine roots growing down from your feet into the soil filled with life.
Take a few deep breaths and relax into the moment.
As you inhale,
Reflect on this.
When you take a deep breath,
Your lungs are filled with 10,
000 trillion,
Trillion air molecules.
That's more air molecules than there are stars in the visible universe.
That's on every deep breath.
So as you sit or stand in this place,
Imagine the air around you.
The same air that wraps the entire planet.
Our atmosphere is a thin living blanket of gases surrounding the earth and stretching from the ground beneath your feet to the edge of space.
It protects us with livable temperatures and perfect conditions for thriving life.
Every breath you take is a part of this ancient protective atmosphere that was shaped by plants,
By trees drawing in carbon dioxide,
By ocean plants and by every living being before you.
You are part of the atmosphere's rhythm.
Supported,
Protected and connected to the living world around you.
We live inside a miracle.
Feel your breath.
And now imagine the tree beside you,
Either real or in your imagination,
Breathing too.
Picture a single oxygen atom released from its leaf floating gently to you and see it move through your nostrils,
Down your throat,
Into the branching tunnels of your lungs,
Resembling roots and branches.
This oxygen transfers into your blood,
Travels to your heart and spreads to every cell of your body.
This oxygen creates the energy you need to live,
To move,
To feel and to think.
Pause here and breathe.
And as you breathe,
Consider the journey your breath has taken through forests,
Rivers,
Oceans,
Even this quiet space you occupy.
Your body is not separate.
It is intertwined with everything around you.
And as you exhale slowly,
Feel the warmth of your breath releasing carbon dioxide.
And perhaps a tree will take it in.
Sense how the boundaries of you are softening and think about how you are connected to the world around you and the universe.
Every atom of your body was born in a star.
Everything is connected.
Take a moment to integrate these sensations of connection and calm and carry the sense of connection with you.
A reminder that with every breath,
You are a part of the living world and the living world is a part of you.
Know that these feelings are always within you,
Ready to be accessed in your daily life.
And now bring back awareness to your body and the points of contact with your support.
Notice the space around you and the sounds in your environment.
Take a deep energizing breath in through your nose.
Hold for a moment and then exhale through your mouth.
And then return to your natural breathing.
You can begin to move your hands and feet gently,
Followed by the rest of your body.
You can stretch,
You can yawn if you need to.
And when you feel ready,
You can open your eyes.
Remember that you can come back to this recording anytime you want to center yourself,
Connect with your breath and feel your bond with the natural world or maybe to pay homage to a special tree.
Thank you for joining me for Breathing With Trees and may this feeling of grounded peace accompany you wherever you go.
