Tree Meditation: Connecting To Nature

Let your mind wander naturally if the attention leaves, and invite your attention back to the meditation visualizations. Notice the qualities of the tree or of nature in general that feel most present to you at this moment. Envision this practice to be as vast as the Earth beneath you and the sky around you, willing and able to hold all elements and experiences as they come and go. Inspired by Jack Kornfield and my Insight Meditation studies.

Transcript

Let your eyes close gently from top to bottom. Begin by allowing the breath to settle the physical body, Any tension you might feel. As if with each inhalation, You grow a little bit taller and more spacious. With each exhalation, You remain open and stable, Grounded in your space. With each exhalation, You remain open and stable, Grounded in yourself in this moment. Or maybe it's the reverse. The inhale stabilizes you and the exhale cultivates space. Whatever works for you in this moment. Noticing any of the sounds around you or any thoughts that might be weaving in and out of the present moment. Allowing the sensations and the experience itself to be fluid, Just like the ebb and flow of the tide. Let your mind relax. Let your mind relax. Let your mind relax. Just like the ebb and flow of the tide. Bring your attention to the ground beneath you. Maybe the feet are on the ground or you can envision them rooted and stable. Whether the ground is like sand or soil, Grass, Rock, Whatever you resonate with in this moment. Just bringing the attention gently up the body, Up the legs, To the pelvis, Up through the torso, Perhaps feeling the breath there that moves in and out of the lungs. From the fingers all the way up to the hands, The arms, As they connect into the shoulders, The collarbones, The chest, The upper back. Still perhaps noticing the movement of the breath there. And all the way up through the neck, Soft, Easy, And the head. You can even scan the mouth, Ears, Nose, Eyes. Setting any tension there, Soften with your awareness. And all the way out the top of the head. Just breathing in and out easily in this container of the body. Just like the waves move in and out of the body. Just like the waves move, The wind moves fluidly without force with its own rhythm. Bring your attention back to the feet. Whether or not they're actually on the ground in this moment, Envision them as though they could root into the earth like the roots of a tree. Growing steadily in all directions, Unique in their shape and size, Grounded, Pulling in all the nutrients you need from Mother Earth herself, Moving up the roots or the feet to the legs and the torso as if they were the trunk of the tree. Growing tall and steady in its unique shape and size, Receiving all of the nutrients from the earth, From the roots, Easily, Gratefully. And sturdy, Yet also fluid, As you've witnessed the gentle movements of the trees and the wind. You might notice your own movements of the breath inside of the trunk of the torso. Maybe even gentle sways in different directions, Just as they come naturally, Not forcing anything. Solid, Yet also receptive and fluid. Moving up to the arms and the top of the head, Like branches in the surrounding part of the tree that grows tall, And also moves and ebbs and flows as the weather and the seasons change and shift. These are the places in the physical body where we can expand out of, Where we literally touch things. We use our hands and arms and the brain and the head to understand, To feel, To connect to the world around us, To see. So you might envision now the tree, The branches, The leaves, The top of the tree is overseeing. The branches are expansive and some are stronger than others. Some branches might break off and regrow into something new. All of them unique in their shape and size, Steady like the trunk and the roots of the tree, But also fluid with the breeze, Just like the breath moves, Like the wind moves without force in its own rhythm. Breathing in and out. Bringing your attention now to the tree or the body, Whatever you'd like to visualize and connect to today as a whole, The entirety of this magical, Unique, Steady, Beautiful piece of nature, This life-giving, Breath-giving force. If it's helpful, You can bring the attention to one part of the tree like the roots or the trunk or the branches or even the leaves as they change with the seasons, Just like whatever grows on the tree, Whether it's foliage or fruit, Will change with the weather, The time of year, Time of day even. It's without conditions, Allowing the dead leaves to fall off and shed, Just like we would allow anything that no longer serves us to release, To fall off of the branches and nourish the soil in order to regrow, To cultivate rebirth, Whatever that means for you. The tree is also a place of shelter for animals and bugs and other plants to grow, To flourish. Just as you yourself and all of us as humans can care for one another and nurture one another in different ways. I'm sitting with this visual for a few more breaths, Connecting to the energy of the tree, Steady roots, Strong and fluid, Receptive and giving, Unique in its shape and size. Breathing in and out. Now letting the attention expand to the area around the tree, The soil, Underneath, The rock, The earth and the sky above, And the movement of nature all around in all directions, As though the area surrounding the tree were the lungs, The life force itself, Fluid in their own natural movements, Receiving life and information from one another and giving it freely, Just as it does naturally without conditions, Shifting with the seasons, The years, The centuries, Everything beautifully fluid, Existing together, Dying and being born again. And this space can be as expansive as you'd like to envision today, Whether in a specific container that feels natural and safe for you or absolutely infinite. Just like our own awareness allows everything to exist, Our own thoughts, Sensations, Sounds, Emotions. Noticing these fluctuations as you bring the attention gently back to the breath, To the tree, To the earth, And to yourself. If it feels comfortable for you, You can bring the hands together in deep gratitude for the life-giving force of nature, Whatever that means for you today. Namaste.