Lessons in Presence from the Forest

The messages and symbolism shared by nature can be a portal into knowledge about yourself. This picture of an amazing tree with a braided trunk spoke to me during a recent Forest Bathing Experience. Forest Bathing is a form of being in the present moment and spending time in nature. When Foresting Bathing, you slow down and become present with the forest; plants, trees, animals, and all aspects of the natural environment.

During the experience, the Forest Bathing Guide invited us to explore how nature is a mirror of oneself or how we are a mirror to nature. This tree immediately caught my attention and spoke to me. To me, this tree illustrated flexibility and growth navigating twists and turns in life. It also speaks to reaching for something above. When you look to the top, you see it breaking through the constraints of the structure shading it. How has this tree been able to do this? I see myself in these efforts and the tree served as a reminder to me to keep going, keep reaching. To be present and aware of my choices.

As I consider the Pursuit of Balance Practices (POB), I imagine the tree deeply rooted in the ground, extracting nutrients from the Earth and a sense of self-love. The tree moves to “choice” through its determination to find the sun, to grow taller and stronger each and every day. To grow beyond the top of the structure. For me, when I see the branches, reaching out to the right and left, perhaps, East and West, it represents expansion and a search for connection. The vastness of possibility if one keeps experimenting and trying new things, reaching beyond what is currently there.

What does this tree say to you? Which POB practices does it represent for you?