February 2021: Trees have a heart. Where is yours at?

TREES and self love.

Ok so its nearly February already and my mind has turned to matters of the heart. Have I been forging ahead with the intentions I set at the beginning of the year? Well, some seeds have been planted, some have taken tiny roots. Others are showing signs of little green shoots and some have been left by the wayside. Hows it going for you? Are you still creatively watering yours or have you lost heart?

One of my intentions is to spend more time in nature this year. After finishing my watercolour painting of Tree Pose-see above- I decided to have Trees as my focus for the last month. This has led me down a wonderful little rabbit hole. I have been finding out loads about trees. See wonderful tree facts below.

Wonderful Tree fact number 1- Trees have a heart beat. (I know right!!!)

It has been found that many trees move their branches up at sunrise when they awaken and down in the night like they are sleeping. By doing so thay are pumping water and sugars through their tracheids, their equivalent to veins and having a pulse. Reminding me of sun salutations and savasana.

Wonderful Tree fact number 2- Hugging trees is good for us all.

Ok so we can’t hug each other. Rubbish I know! On the other hand, as it is beneficial to be out in nature why not hug a tree while your at it. Hugging trees releases oxytocin and seratonin in the body which are hormones that make us happy. Whats not to like? Hugging yourself is also an option. Self hugs are underated. Wrapping our arms around our bodies and giving a squeeze feels good. You can also massage into the gaps near the shoulder blades. Self love rocks and is part of yoga too. Love the body your in.

Awesome tree fact number 3- Trees have their own unique identity.

In the cross section of a tree you will find dark and light circles like a thumb print. Trees create these mandalas as they grow pushing the bark outwards. When the season is dry, the cells are condensed together, creating a darker part of the mandala. When the season is wet a lighter ring is seen containing more moisture so the cells are less compact. The bark of a tree gets pushed outwards as it grows, creating a unique, one of a kind mandala. No two exactly the same. Just like humans with their footprints and hand prints or the imprint they leave around the planet. Images of hands and feet on the yoga mat also come to mind.

I dont know about you but I was pretty freaked to realise that trees and humans have so many similarities. We have a heart beat, we flourish with hugs and we have our own imprints all over our bodies. Just like trees. How frickin’ cool is that!

Next time your in a forest or woods and you get that magical feeling that you’re not alone you will know thats it truer than you once thought. And as for the tree pixies well….perhaps thats for another time.