Hugging a Tree

I have always lived amidst greenery at home. My mom is an avid gardener. But my job was only watering the plants as a chore. I have never paid any attention to trees or plants. 

Springing back to my love for the context of Autism, I know for a fact that my son drew my attention to an almost 150 year old tree at my place. I have once heard Dr.B.M.Hegde, renowned cardiologist from India, speak about a healing testimony of hugging a tree. My intuition pushed me to give it a shot. 

What started off as a daily ritual, became magical. The tree started communicating with me telepathically. Did the tree all of a sudden start to converse or was it that I was now more aligned to her frequency? The latter proved to be the fact. She radiates so much of vibrant energy which gives me profound grounding and healing. And by the way why do I refer to the tree as a ‘She’? Because I fondly call her ‘Akila’.

The ancient revered practice of Vriksha Ayurveda, views hugging a tree as a way to absorb healing energy and connecting with nature’s life force. As you wrap your hands around this towering intelligence, you will feel her warmth cocooning you. And as you lift your head up to the sky, aiming your view to her topmost point, you will be invited into the protection of the canopy of her branches and leaves. You will actually start to wonder, if its you who is hugging the tree or is it really the tree hugging you!

The scientific community is slowly catching up with the ancient wisdom of tree hugging. Apart from proven scientific evidence of stress reduction, immune system boosting, lowering blood pressure etc., the benefits of hugging a tree extends far beyond the physical realm. It’s a conscious connect with nature. 

Trees act as antennas to connect us to Source with their branches soaring higher up to the sky and with their roots traveling deep down into the earth, symbolically serving as a bridge between Heaven and Earth, between the Divine and The Self.

We were created to live in symbiosis with nature and that’s exactly what our fantastic children do. Let’s quiet our minds, open our heart space, breathe deeply and hug a tree to immerse ourselves in more Love, Light and Enlightenment. 

Priyanka Pradeep