Welcome to today's meditation.
Today I'll be sharing my tree meditation.
It's designed to deepen your connection to nature and to help see yourself as part of nature.
Very often we see ourselves as separate but my hope is that this meditation softens that illusion and gives you a sense of oneness.
So just beginning now to settle into a comfortable position,
Whatever best suits you.
Just ensuring that you're as balanced as can be and open so that you can breathe fully.
Just beginning to notice your breath now.
Noticing how you breathe naturally,
How you know that you're breathing.
So it could be the feeling of your stomach rising and falling as you inhale and exhale.
It could be the temperature of your breath or the feeling of the air moving in and out of your nostrils.
And just anchor it into this moment by noticing what you can smell and taste,
What you can feel and what you can hear.
Just allowing everything into your experience.
And I'd like you to now picture a tree.
So it could be any tree,
Your favorite tree,
Whatever you see in your mind's eye.
And hold this picture,
Allowing the details of it to develop as you breathe into your feet now.
So standing a distance from the tree,
Your feet on the ground and breathing into your feet.
And if you find it hard to visualize you can get a sense of the tree instead.
So feeling the energy of your tree and know there's no right or wrong.
Your tree can change throughout this meditation.
So just spending some time breathing into your feet.
Sensing a connection to the earth.
Beginning now to walk slowly towards your tree.
Your breath in tandem with your footsteps.
And when you reach your tree you can choose to place your hands on the trunk of the tree.
Or you can turn to sit down beside it with your back touching the trunk.
And as you get this sense of being in contact with the tree you can see if the tree has anything to say to you.
So this may seem like an abstract idea.
Just trust in whatever comes up is right for you.
It's okay if there's nothing at all.
You can see this as the voice of the tree.
Does it have a message for you?
Continuing to breathe deep into the feet.
And I'll ask you now what it would be like if I told you to merge with the tree.
So however this looks.
Becoming one with the tree.
No longer you and the tree but you as the tree.
And as you breathe now I'd ask you to take your breath deep down into your roots.
Exploring how wide,
How far,
How deep your roots are.
And if your mind wanders away from this focus just gently nudge it back towards your breath.
Taking that breath into your roots.
And with your next cycle of breath we can breathe into the roots and out through the branches of the tree.
Just staying with this for a little while.
So breath into the roots and out through the branches.
Allowing yourself to note any other senses.
So any sounds that you hear.
Anything that you can smell.
Anything that you can feel.
As you breathe into your roots.
Releasing the breath through your branches.
Just moving your breath now to the heart space of the tree.
Breathing into the heart of your tree.
If you like you can place your hand on your heart whilst you do this.
Just feeling the life force energy.
With the cycle of your next breath just allowing your feet to step outside of the tree.
Feeling them on the ground once again.
Breathing into your feet and slowly moving away from your tree.
Step by step taking your time.
Reaching the same distance away from your tree.
It's when we first started.
When you reach that distance just turn to look back at your tree.
Taking in all of the details of your tree once again.
Sensing the energy of the tree.
Feeling a connection to the tree.
And if you like now you can repeat the words thank you as a mantra.
So bringing yourself back into your body.
Back into the room or space that you're in.
Noticing where you are in the space around you.
What furniture is near if there is any.
Are there windows or doors?
Where are they in relation to you right now?
Just begin to bring some movement back into your body.
Maybe swaying side to side.
Wiggling your fingers.
Moving your toes.
And in your very own time just gently begin to open your eyes now.
Thank you for sharing this meditation with me today.
