I am walking down the pavement of a bustling London road. 

Strolling in front of me whilst holding hands are a mother and her toddler girl.

Suddenly the little girl stops abruptly and tears away towards a nearby tree - a tall London Plane.

Waiting patiently, the mother observes her daughter purposefully walking up close to the towering tree.

The little girl opens her arms wide and wraps them around it as if holding her dearest friend.

Witnessing this scene, I feel my heart expanding.

Did you know? (A Touch of Science)

The University of Derby found that the physiology of people changed to more relaxed states when they were appreciating or touching trees.

In Iceland the Forestry Service recommends embracing trees to help alleviate feelings of isolation.

Researchers from the Heart Math Institute measured electrical activity in trees and their environment. They concluded that trees elicit positive feeling states in humans.

Are we out of touch with the living world? (The big Aha-Moment of a tired teenager)

During a Nature Immersion event a young woman gently placed her hand on a tree. Afterwards she shared with our group that she had a meaningful realisation:

“It’s amazing how different it feels to touch a tree compared to touching my computer. I can feel that the tree is alive. I am getting something back from it. No wonder I feel tired all the time if all I touch are dead things. I want to touch more living things”.

How often do we connect through touch with another living being – be it holding a partner’s hand, hugging a friend, stroking a pet or touching a flower or tree?

Whenever we touch another living organism, we perceive its inherent life force. Our whole being is reminded that we are alive too. Touching any part of the living natural world enlivens and energises us.
 

Touch helps to inform and connect us

As children, we learn and develop through using all our senses. We explore our environment through touch. It feels very different to touch something with our hands compared to simply looking at it with our eyes. What we touch we get to know in a new way. Touching helps us perceive something more clearly and understand it better. We can literally “feel” it. 

Touching may also feel intimate. We like to touch what we love and who we love. We connect and show our affection through touch.
 

The effects of touching Nature (even the Sceptics were surprised)

People from all over the world are benefitting profoundly from engaging with nature through their sense of touch. 

I have witnessed mums & millionaires, scientists & sceptics, entrepreneurs & executives, coaches & celebrities and people from all walks of life being positively surprised and often moved by the simple, yet profound act of consciously touching any part of nature.

Here is what some of my previous event participants shared:

• “When I touched the soft feathery needles of the Cedar with my hand, it felt like a handshake.”

• “As my hands ran through the silky long grass it reminded me of stroking my daughter’s hair when she was younger. I felt love flowing through me.”

• “I used to think hugging trees is for hippies, but now I get it.”

• “When I was leaning against the tree it felt like a massage. I sensed the knots in my back untangling. Tree hugging should be prescribed as medicine.”

• “I put my forehead against the tree and felt a cooling sensation flowing into my head. My headache is gone”.

• “Sitting at the roots of the tree with the low bendy branches, it was as if the tree put its arms around me. I felt like a happy child sitting on my mother’s lap.”

• “That tree over there is a fantastic hugger – I am going back for more.”

(1) HOW TO HUG A TREE:
Just as there are many ways to hug another human being, there are many ways to hug a tree. Only do what feels good to you. You cannot get it wrong.  

The more relaxed we are, the more we can perceive. An instant way to relax more, is to breathe in naturally through our nose and slowly breathe out through our nose. 

First, find a tree you like or feel drawn to.
Take an easy breath in through your nose and slowly breathe out through your nose.
You may enjoy leaning against your tree first and sense a connection.
You can place one or both hands on your tree.
At any time feel free to embrace your tree with one or both arms, like a friend.

What will it feel like?

Your experience is unique to you and can feel different each time. You may feel more light-hearted or emotionally refreshed after hugging a tree. Some find the experience clears their head, makes them feel more grounded or more aware of their bodies.

Others notice subtle physical sensations like tingling, warmth, or a cooling effect. It can also feel as if tension from your body is released downward into the earth or as if energy from the tree or the earth is flowing through you in various ways.  

Thor Thorfinnsson, forest manager for East Iceland describes his personal experience: 

"I like to close my eyes while hugging a tree. I press my cheek against it and feel the warmth and currents flowing from the tree into me... it starts in my toes, runs up to my legs and through my body into my brain. I get such a good relaxing feeling that I am ready for a new day and new challenges.”

(2) TOUCHING BASE:
Find a tree that you like. 
Explore the lower part of its trunk with your fingertips.
You may feel like crouching or sitting down.
Find the area where the roots grow into the earth. 
Simply touch and appreciate the base of your tree.
Notice how you feel.

(3) HANDS ON EARTH:
Our hands have acupressure points relating to our heart. Find a natural surface (grass, soil, sand) to sit or lie on.

Gently place both your palms on the earth. Touch the earth from your heart allowing yourself to feel love for the earth. You may imagine love flowing through your hands into the earth. Notice how you feel.

Mini-Recap:

• Embracing a tree is easy and can make you feel better

• Touching that which is alive can energise and enliven you

• Our sense of touch helps us to know something better

• Using our hands to touch something can connect us 

“One Touch of Nature makes the whole world kin.”
William Shakespeare

So don’t be shy, enjoy using your sense of touch in nature, feel the aliveness that you share with the natural living world and get back in touch. 

Your Natural Energy and Aliveness will thank you for it.

Sus x