Bear's Blog

Trees vibrate at the same frequency as humans do - 8Hz. That’s also the baseline Schumann Wave, the frequency that surrounds us in the atmosphere. Called the heartbeat of the Earth, this low-amplitude frequency range has biological benefits on a cellular level. They align with our calming, meditative alpha-theta brainwaves (5-12Hz). Trees resource us in so many ways. How can we interact with them more intentionally, bringing ourselves into energetic coherence and enhancing healing?

Trees are central to our existence. We breathe together, exchanging carbon dioxide and oxygen. Just like when breathing, we need to release old energy in order to welcome what’s next. This is how I spend some quality time with a tree... 

1) Sit at the base of a tree big enough to support you. Align your Hara.* Resting back, notice the sensation of its bark; then imagine merging with the tree. Traveling down through the root system, spread out into the liveliness of Earth. Be nourished by glutamate, the primary neurotransmitter in the soil - and in our brains! Return to your seat and travel up to the leaf canopy. Receive the sun and wind, and tune into any movement through the leaves and branches.

2) Coming back to middle ground, reflect on what you want to let go of.  Bring any loss, grief, inadequacy, frustration, overwhelm, anxiousness, exhaustion, sorrow, helplessness, fear – all your suffering - to the surface. You might replay specific moments, but focus on feelings that come up. Imagine these “spent” emotions, all that old energy, falling away into the ground. (In healing work we often release unwanted energies downward toward the Earth to be transformed.)

3) Notice the environment around you; sensations of smell, sound, light, touch. Share in the tree's perspective of the world. When you feel complete and at peace, thank the tree and carry that relief with you into the rest of your day. Be refreshed by the sensations of groundedness and openness that trees embody.

Everyone values having trees in their immediate environment; they anchor us in so many ways. Harbingers of the seasons, in winter they underline stillness with their bare silhouettes; buds and flowers erupt with the energy of renewal in spring; leafing out in the fullness of summer, they then blaze out in fall color. There is more to experience about trees than just the visual aspect, the scent, or the shade. Fostering all life they are home to many birds, animals, insects and fungi. Trees emit antimicrobial phytoncides and seasonal hormones that trigger a biological response in us - lowering stress hormones, reducing blood pressure and boosting the immune system.

These months promise to bring more disastrous news, so let’s take a break and focus on what is always there to sustain us. Everything is always in a process of transformation to some degree. With the rapid changes we are experiencing, the connective tissue of our Earth and other living beings holds us.

Peace, love and healing -

Bear

*If you aren’t familiar with the Hara Line exercise, you can learn about it HERE