THE POWER OF THE TREES
It’s no secret that naturE, especially trees, can be a great source of beauty and inspiration. There is growing knowledge and worldwide popularity suggesting that trees can make you healthier. But did you know that you can embrace the power of trees in your meditation practice?
Using tree meditation for grounding will allow you to connect you to the natural world and feel the strength and spirit of a tree within yourself. It can be used alone or in conjunction with other meditation practices, such as essential oils meditation.
You’ll feel the grounding and centring benefits of tree meditation as soon as you add it to your practice. By combining tree meditation with essential oils for meditation, you’ll elevate your meditation practice to a new level.
For thousands of years in Daoism and Chinese medicine, trees have been a major focal point of mental, spiritual and physical health. One of the most powerful meditations people used was to meditate with a single tree.
Standing Tree Meditation, Zhan Zhuang, is simple and inspiring. In a sense, it's a way to really commune with nature. Once you start practising you'll find that meditating at different trees will feel like different conversations. Each type of tree singing its own tune. Start by finding a quiet space in nature with a tree. Any tree will work but try to choose one that you connect with spiritually or that you feel has a strong grounding presence.
Ben White
Begin your meditation standing in front of the tree. Cup your hands together and bow to the four directions. As you stand, try to embody the spirit of the tree. Your feet are planted like roots.
Your core is strong like the trunk of a tree. From here, we will go into three different poses: For the first pose, raise your hands up above the crown of your head and cup them like a basin.
Jan Huber
Caique Silva
Think of yourself like a tree growing upwards. Pull your shoulders back, but don’t become stiff. Allow yourself to relax. You can even sway in the wind like the tree. This pose represents the heavens. Hold this pose for as long as you feel you need.
Next, lower your hands so they are eye-level, keeping them cupped. Keep your shoulders back Lower your gaze so your eyes are almost closed. Imagine you are illuminated from within. This pose represents Earth.Finally, lower your hands to chest-level. This pose connects you to humanity.
Hold this final pose for as long as you want. When finished, lower your arms and embrace yourself by crossing your arms over your chest to end your tree meditation.
Do as many sequences as you wish then give thanks to the trees and gradually allow any sense of having roots, branches and leaves to dissolve as you become fully aware of your own body. Alternatively you can use this practice as a preliminary to a movement meditation such as Yoga, Tai Chi or Qi Gong.