Healing with Tree Qi: Part 1

Sweet and spiced aromas cool my mood the moment I arrive home. Living in a forest is a sense-quenching experience where birds announce daybreak, and the alchemy of dampness and warmth emit a fragrance that quiets the mind.

Trees have been a part of traditional healing worldwide for centuries. In Chinese Medicine, tree qi is a vital resource to replenish our reserves and strengthen particularities in our inner flow. Breathing-in and gazing-upon infuses our meridian channels, our organs, and our cells. Likewise, we can sponge-in tree-qi through intentional “mind’s eye” practices, and draw qi towards us with our hands, various postures, and movements.

Try this: find a healthy tree that you feel an affinity toward. Larger trees have more energy, and different species will have a different quality of energy, so try more than one kind.
-Stand or sit 5-8 feet from the trunk.
-Visually take in the tree- notice the uniqueness of its bark, any turns or twists, the foliage and or roots. Rather than visually focusing on a point, imagine that it is a pleasant being that you are opening to- you may have a positive experience opening to a child, or an animal, or a moment with a friend. These are just suggestions to help replicate the feeling of opening your heart and energy.
-Imagine energy moving down through the crown of your head, the center of your body, your legs, your feet, into the earth. The energy descends through the core of you, through your roots, and into the earth where it will meet with the root-tips of the tree. Imagine energy moving through the roots, up the center of the tree to about eye level. Here it leaves the tree to return to you, repeating the circuit through the top of your head, and down your center again. You can use your hands to “guide” the energy through the circuit. If you are sensitive to energy, you may feel this circulation. If you do not, know that it is happening.
-You can guide the energy to a part of your body, and you can reverse the circuit, going up through your body and down through the tree. Sometimes I simple stand with my palms open at my sides and allow for connection without guiding the energy intentionally. I trust it will flow where needed.
--Close off with a gesture of thanks in some way- I use Namaste or prayer hands at the heart.
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Tree types and uses: willow and cedar: grief, loss, sadness; blossom trees: youthful vibrancy and a caffeine effect (circulating with these trees clears my sinuses and brain fog!); I will update with more shortly.