Trees play an important role in Taoist practice They serve, for one, as a metaphor for the human body, awakening to its natural state:

~ feet open and alive, like the roots of a tree, descending and spreading and drawing life-force/nutrients upward;

~ torso strong and fluid/radiant at its core, like the trunk of a tree containing and drawing sap upward, to nourish branches & leaves;

~ limbs lengthening, like the branches of a tree;

~ crown of the head soft & receptive, sense organs purified & spirit quickened, like the beautiful flowers and luscious fruits of trees in the spring and summer seasons.

What also has been discovered ~ through the research of the Masters of the Taoist martial & healing arts, and many generations of qigong practitioners ~ is that trees are actually nourished by the negative energy of human beings. So when we practice qigong next to a tree, and in that practice release energies that are harmful or constricting to us, the tree (that is our practice partner) absorbs these energies as though they were, to it, a form of food! The relationship is, by design, a mutually beneficial one.

When youre cultivating the capacity to see the energy-bodies/auras of beings, trees are a good place to start Somehow their subtle bodies tend to be more visible, at certain times of the day especially (dawn & dusk) than the subtle bodies of other life-forms. If youd like to try this, go out at dawn or dusk, when the sun has dropped below the horizon, or hasnt quite risen, but still theres plenty of light in the sky choose a tree (pine trees are great for this), and then let your gaze rest very softly upon it. Let your focus be diffuse, as though you were making a relaxed effort not only to see the entire tree, but at the same time to expand your peripheral vision. Or imagine that somehow youre able, and are going to look right through the physical form of the tree. What youll notice, eventually, is a golden-white outline, which is the subtle body of your new friend, revealing itself to you.

Taoism presents us, also, with a whole variety of tree-hugging practices. And for the same reason that trees subtle bodies are relatively easy to see (because they have ~ at least the healthy ones ~ a lot of energy!), they also are great hugging partners: theyll give you energy, balance your energy, and happily receive energy from you. And if you dont have an actual tree handy, simply imagining the practice is almost as good Stand with your feet shoulder-width, and parallel. Bend your knees just slightly (feeling the backs of the knees as soft and hollow), allowing your weight to descend fully into your feet, legs and pelvis. Then float your hands and elbows up to the level of your heart, palms facing your torso, creating a circle with your arms, with four or five inches between the gently extended fingers of your right & left hands just as though you were indeed hugging a tree. And then imagine that you are hugging that tree, and as you hug the tree youre also becoming a tree: feel your roots descending, sap being drawn upward through the center of your torso, your arms & legs lengthening, your crown softening to receive sunlight and the energy of the blue sky from above you, your senses becoming more clear and bright Feel yourself blossoming, bearing fruit, becoming the meeting-place of Heaven & Earth How wonderful!