Trees are a source of wonder and beauty for many people who gaze upon them and spend time around them. People from all walks of life come into contact with trees daily - hikers, gardeners, artists, lovers of the great outdoors, dreamers, naturalists, travelers and tourists, hunters, botanists, and more. By dint of being rooted to the ground they grow in, trees are representative of strength and constancy for many and this can bring on a sense of peace and connection when spending time around trees.

Listening to trees is either a relaxation or a meditating exercise, depending on how you choose to view it. Listening to the communications of trees (or rustlings and noises if you're really practical) is a way of attuning our hearing and paying more attention to what we hear around us rather than letting sounds invade our space unawares. Trees make for a wonderful subject of focus because they cannot move more than what the breeze blows, toning down distractions and causing us to relax and focus more clearly.

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Find a suitable place for spending time with the trees. Choose a place that has at least two trees but preferably more. It is better that they have abundant foliagebut even branches, twig, and bark have a place in making sounds. Make yourself comfortable and settled; you may wish to face the trunk(s) or sit against a trunk, or sit in the middle of a circle of trees. Do whatever feels right around the trees, as there are no rules, just instinctual responses.

• It is best if you can allow yourself to be led to the trees where you will listen. Actively avoiding choosing a particular tree to meditate or relax before you arrive can lead you to a tree with which you are unfamiliar and you may learn much more by interacting with it.

(2)

Be prepared to spend a decent amount of time on this exercise. Trees are very noble and peaceful. They neither welcome the bird nor beckon for its return. They let things be as they are. Therefore, they won't welcome your willingness to listen, they'll only see you as you are and continue with their normal behavior. However, be sure to treat the trees with respect and this respect will emanate from you and become part of the microcosm of you and the trees, not acknowledged but always gently there. Your respect for the trees will improve your ability to listen, as well as helping you to be open to the possibilities that you may never have pondered before.

(3)

Notice the silence. In looking for the silence, you will soon become aware that a copse of trees, a wood, or a forest has no real silence. The trees are always communicating, making noise, filling in the gaps between birdsong and the industrious animals and insects.

(4)

Notice the sounds with greater precision. You will hear the trees in the breeze or wind, the swaying of branches, the creaking of limbs, the rustling of leaves. Listen to how the wind or breeze flows through the trees and the how the very smallest of the sounds of the trees are amplified by the fact of you choosing to listen more closely.

• Be patient. It takes time and perseverance to learn to listen to the trees. Don't be disappointed if you cannot hear the trees at first. It may take several different tries and occasions before you tap into the interactions.

(5)

Experiment with sounds around and beneath the tree. The sounds are quiet, so listen closely and attentively.

• Place your ear to the ground, perhaps above the roots of the tree. Can you hear anything approaching?
• Place your ear against the trunk of the tree. Listen for what you can hear; once you hear it, let the sound envelop you and create a reaction in you. How does hearing sounds through the trunk affect you?

(6)

Repeat the exercise of listening over and over. As you listen, continue asking yourself how you are affected by the sounds of the tree. What is the quality of the sound and where does it resonate most within your body? What does the sound actually do – is it constant, intermittent, loud, soft, or always changing? The more you persist with this line of inquiry and a focus on simply listening to the trees, the more you will attune your hearing to the communications from the trees.

(7)

Listen with your other senses. It is possible for the deaf to "hear" when listening to trees.Opening up your senses means noting which parts of your body are most in tune with the tree's methods of communicating, through touch, smell, sound and sight. Continue listening as your accepted ideas about communication and about trees are turned upside down.

• Inhale deeply and slowly exhale to feel the discourse of the trees within you.

(8)

Repeat all meditative or relaxing steps as long as you like. Hopefully this will further enlighten you. If you have enjoyed this experience of spending time with trees, consider broadening your listening to the communication of the trees to also embrace listening to your own body. From the experience of trees, you can learn to nourish your body as the tree knows instinctively how to nourish itself – selectively, slowly in small amounts, and aligned with the environment and seasons around you. As with the tree, take only what you need when needed and hear your body's needs, energizing it through eating for your body rather than to jump start or sedate it, and learn from the trees how to get your life back into balance

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