In Pursuit of Vitality: Week of Tips: Ground Yourself: Visit a Tree

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Week of Tips: Ground Yourself: Visit a Tree

We're in the second half of this week's tips on how to ground ourselves for the fall. See the previous posts of the week on Fall Cleaning, Fall Eating, Grounding Meditation, and Getting in Touch with Nature.

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I mentioned earlier this week in my meditation post, that one of the ways to ground ourselves in meditation is imagine that we are trees and that our feet allow us to absorb the energy from the ground. The reason why this visualization works is because trees have amazing energy.
Many people visit the enormous redwoods and sequoias in California every year. The reason why people visit these trees is because they are ginormous and simply one of the wonders of the natural world that they feel they need to see. Our culture is very focused by all things big, stimulating and over-the-top. We are driven by what we see and how far we expand ourselves outwardly. The loudest person usually gets the most attention and their way. We are strive to get a superior title at work and make more money than the next guy. We forgo the old, used cars to buy a new car that will wow our family and friends. We starve ourselves and get plastic surgery so we can fit the model for being beautiful.
With such emphasis on our outward appearance, behavior and status, who we are inside is ignored. Getting grounded is about shedding those superficial thoughts and actions and going within ourselves. It is those inner traits that we develop that allow ourselves to expand beyond the superficiality. A tree can't support its large trunk, wide branches and leaves without a good root system. The same can be said about humans.
Did you know that the roots of a tree can reach even further out than its branches? This is a huge reason why trees are such powerful grounding agents. If you ever feel really spacey or too outwardly focused, you can sit with your back to a tree and just absorb the energy you receive from its strong, expansive roots. You don't necessarily have to meditate. If the ground is wet or you can't sit, you can also take a walk in the woods. Visiting a tree and taking in that energy will help to de-emphasize what's going on in the hectic world and help you refocus on your innerself.
Below are some pictures of how trees and meditation have are intertwined in different religions and across different demographics. So get out there today (it's going to finally be nice in Boston) and sit with a tree.