Why I Put My Hand on a Tree

You walk past an old tree, and something in you wants to reach out and touch it. Then you catch yourself and keep walking. If that has ever happened to you, trust that pull. It's information, not something to explain away. I'm Fernanda. I've been an energy healer for over twenty years, and holding a tree is one of the oldest things I do. Older than any of my training. So today I want to show you what actually happens when you put your hand on a tree. Why the oldest ones feel different, and a one-minute version you can try without leaving your chair. One thing first. This is a complementary practice. It sits alongside your doctor, never instead of them.

For me, a tree represents the tree of life. Your own essence, standing right there in front of you. So when you hold it, hand on the bark, forehead against the trunk, or just standing on its roots, something happens both ways. You receive its blessing. The tree's energy, the essence of earth. And at the same time, you're handing something over. That thought. The feeling underneath it. Whatever discomfort you've been carrying around all week. You've been carrying too much, and releasing too little. So the tree gives you somewhere to put it down. It's very empowering. You're doing more than visiting a tree. You're trading with it.

I've always been drawn to holding a tree and exchanging energy with it, that quiet back and forth. Since I was young. After a swim, after a hard day, I'd put my hand on the bark and just stay there for a minute. I always noticed I felt lighter afterward. The same pull I feel with the ocean, I feel with a good old tree. Something in me settles the moment I touch it. There was a stretch of years when I lost that connection, and my mental health decreased a lot. When I went back to the practice, I noticed a huge change. So this isn't a technique I read somewhere. It's how I came back to myself.

Not every tree feels the same to me. The older, bigger ones feel more aware. More connected. Ancient energy, I call it. Roots that have been holding that ground longer than either of us has been alive. An oak wider than both your arms. A cedar older than the town around it. That's the kind of tree I mean. When I ground myself, I visualize becoming a tree. Roots as big as the branches, reaching just as far down as the leaves reach up. So the biggest tree you can find has simply had more time. More time listening.

In my room, when I suggest this to someone for the first time, I see the same reaction. A little laugh. A look like, really, hug a tree? And I tell them, yes. It can feel silly at first. That's completely normal. Push past that first minute, and I watch their shoulders drop. Nobody's laughing by the second minute. Some of my clients go looking for a specific tree afterward. One that felt right the moment they saw it. So if it feels strange to you too, that just means you're doing it right.

If you have a forest nearby, this is where forest bathing comes in. Not exercise. A walk with awareness, a walk with intention. Your nervous system is always listening, asking, am I safe? A quiet forest is one of the fastest ways to answer, yes. Before you start walking, ask the forest, ask Mother Earth, to surround you with love, peace, and good thoughts. Then you just listen. The birds. Water running somewhere. The quiet underneath the quiet. That's the whole practice. Walking, asking, listening.

Now, you don't need a forest for any of this. Nature can come to you. Close your eyes and picture the oldest tree you know. The bark, the shape of it, the shade underneath. Your body can't always tell the difference between standing there and vividly imagining it. So it responds the same way either time. Call it the tree's energy, or call it just paying attention to something alive for once. Either way, your breath slows down and your body settles. Even a single leaf on your desk, or one photo of an old forest, can be enough to start.

Here's the one-minute version, whether you have a tree outside your window or just a picture in your head. Let your shoulders drop before you begin. That's often where people carry the most. Feet flat on the floor. Let them become roots, going deeper and deeper, reaching the centre of the earth. Now picture the oldest tree you know. Or if you're near one, go put your hand on it. Take one long breath in. Receiving. The tree's energy, the essence of earth, whatever you want to call it. Now one long breath out. Handing over. Down your arms, out of your palms, into the bark, into the roots. Whatever you've been carrying, that tightness in your chest, let the tree take it. Last thing. Say thank you. Out loud, or just in your head.

Do that with any tree, real or pictured, and you'll start to feel less like you're carrying the day alone. If you want to go deeper, I've put my ten-day journey together. It's called The Nature Reset. The link is below. And there's a link to book a gentle session too. In person, or from anywhere. A tree represents the tree of life, your own essence. Every time you touch one, you're just remembering that. I'm Fernanda. Come as you are.