Walking With the Living Forest
Life Renewal Through Tree Intelligence & Sacred Relationship & a 5-Minute Embodiment Practice
Shantree Kacera, RH., DN, Ph.D.
“The forest makes your heart gentle. You become one with it. No place for greed or anger there.”
~Pha Pachak
Beautiful Day! During these last few months, I have been writing, and I wrote a book for a Sacred Plant Medicine retreat and for the Shift Network course Lorenna and I will be offering. I want to share a few nuggets from the book and what I have been exploring during this time in Costa Rica.
Before you enter these paragraphs below, and if you are interested in the book on Tree Wisdom: Living Intelligence of the Ancient Forest, I want to share a few of the ways this work often touches daily life. Many who walk with these teachings experience meaningful shifts, such as:
• A calmer nervous system and steadier emotional rhythms
• Greater grounding and confidence in daily decisions
• Increased energy and a deeper sense of vitality
• Clearer boundaries and stronger inner stability
• Renewed creativity and inspiration
• A greater sense of purpose and life direction
• Deeper connection in relationships and community
• A felt sense of belonging and trust in life’s unfolding
These changes often ripple gently into work relationships, family life creative expression and the way each day is met. What begins as a relationship with the forest becomes a way of walking through life with greater presence, clarity and inner support. Over time, many find that ordinary moments carry more ease. Mornings feel more grounded. Transitions throughout the day feel more spacious. Even small choices begin to feel guided by a deeper inner sense of alignment.
Grounding, Stability, and Emotional Strength
I offer this book as a companion for those who feel the call to return to inner stability and deep belonging. Through my years of walking with trees and forests, I have witnessed how their presence supports a deep settling within the body and emotions. As you enter a relationship with the forest through these pages, you may feel a growing sense of safety and inner home. The teachings of roots support confidence, clearer boundaries and a stronger ability to stay present during challenge. Life begins to feel more anchored and supported.
In daily life, this grounding often shows up as a steadier start to the day. The body feels more at ease upon waking. Emotional reactions soften. There is more space between stimulus and response. Situations that once felt overwhelming begin to feel more manageable. Even in busy environments, many discover an inner anchor that travels with them. This creates a felt sense of being supported from within rather than pulled by external pressures.
I have seen how tree wisdom supports calmer inner rhythms. Through practices of presence, breath and connection with living systems, many experience reduced inner tension and greater emotional steadiness. As you walk this path, you may notice clearer thinking, gentler responses and a greater capacity to meet life with patience and strength. Over time, a deeper sense of inner peace often becomes part of daily living.
This steadiness often changes communication. Conversations feel more grounded. Listening becomes deeper. Reactions soften into responses shaped by awareness. Daily stressors lose their grip more quickly. Even challenging interactions become opportunities to remain centred and present.
Vitality, Purpose, and Creative Expansion
Through the teachings of sap breath and circulation, I invite you into a renewed relationship with vitality. Many who work with these practices feel increased energy, clearer mental focus and a renewed sense of aliveness. The body remembers its natural rhythm of nourishment and flow. This renewed life force supports motivation, creativity and a deeper enjoyment of daily living.
In daily life, this vitality may show up as more sustained energy throughout the day. Mental fog clears. Physical movement feels more fluid. Tasks feel less draining. There is a sense of being fueled from within rather than pushing through fatigue. Creative impulses become easier to access. Simple pleasures carry more richness.
In working with the upright strength of the trunk, I guide you toward inner alignment and clarity. Many discover a stronger sense of direction and purpose. Decisions become easier to sense from within. Life choices begin to reflect deeper values. This alignment often brings meaning into work relationships and personal vision.
This clarity often changes how choices are made. Daily decisions feel less driven by pressure and more guided by inner truth. Work begins to feel more aligned with values. Time feels more intentional. Energy is invested in what truly matters. This creates a sense of coherence that carries through schedules, commitments and long-term planning.
The branches of the tree inspire openness and imagination. I invite you to release limiting stories and step into a wider view of your potential. New ideas emerge. Creative energy flows more freely. This expansion supports personal growth and invites a fresh relationship with future possibilities.
In daily life, this often shows up as a renewed sense of curiosity. New projects feel possible. Creative expression feels more natural. There is a greater willingness to explore new paths and allow life to unfold in fresh ways. Inspiration becomes a companion rather than a rare visitor.
Renewal, Regeneration, and Rhythmic Living
Through seasonal wisdom, I offer support for releasing constant striving and returning to natural rhythms. As you learn to honour cycles of movement and rest, balance begins to restore itself. Many experience greater compassion for their own needs and a healthier relationship with time, energy and effort. Life becomes more spacious and nourishing.
This often transforms daily pacing. Rest becomes restorative rather than rushed. Activity becomes more intentional. There is a deeper respect for personal limits and natural waves of energy. This creates a sense of sustainability that supports long term wellbeing. Burnout gives way to a more rhythmic way of living.
Through meristematic teachings, I share a path into deep renewal. You are invited to connect with an inner intelligence that supports healing, adaptability and restoration. This supports transitions, recovery and life changes. Many feel a renewed sense of freshness responsivenes,s and inner youthfulness expressed through curiosity, openness and engagement with life.
In daily life, this regeneration often feels like a quiet renewal of hope. Challenges feel less fixed. Change becomes an opening rather than a burden. The body and emotions recover more quickly. There is a sense that life carries within it the capacity to renew again and again.
Connection, Belonging, and Living Legacy
The forest reveals the power of connection and shared support. I invite you to experience how mutual nourishment strengthens relationships and community. Many discover greater empathy and a deeper appreciation for shared life. This supports healthier communication deeper connection, and a stronger sense of belonging.
In daily life, this often transforms relationships. Listening deepens. Compassion grows. Boundaries feel clearer and kinder. There is a greater sense of shared humanity. Community becomes a source of nourishment rather than depletion. Even brief interactions carry more presence and care.
Ancient trees offer a wider sense of time and continuity. Through their presence, I invite you into a broader perspective. Urgency softens. Trust in life’s unfolding grows. This expanded view supports emotional steadiness and a deeper peace with life’s rhythms and changes.
This perspective often changes how challenges are perceived. Moments of uncertainty feel less overwhelming. There is greater patience with the process. Life feels part of a larger story. This brings calm into decisions and a deeper trust in timing.
As these teachings integrate into daily life, I witness profound shifts in how people walk their path. Actions align more closely with inner values. Choices feel more coherent. Life begins to carry a sense of flow and rightness. This alignment supports confidence, authenticity and a deeper sense of self-trust.
At the heart of this work, I offer a return to belonging. Through a relationship with the living forest, you rediscover your place within the greater web of life. The forest becomes a trusted presence. A sense of kinship with life grows. This belonging nourishes the heart and supports a deeper experience of meaning, connection and harmony.
Walking With the Living Forest is offered as a living relationship that continues beyond these pages. I offer it in service of resilience, vitality, clarity and purpose. Through this connection, many discover that life feels richer, more supported and more deeply alive.
The Living Body of the Forest: 5-Minute Ecosomatic Embodiment Practice
A somatic, sensing-based practice for grounding, softening, and inner listening
This practice is done mostly with eyes closed or softened. It invites the body to remember how to be in relationship with life through sensation, micro-movement, and inner listening.
1. Weight & Yielding (1 minute)
Stand or sit.
Let your weight drop just a little more into your feet, hips, and seat.
Feel gravity receiving you.
Instead of holding yourself up, let yourself be held.
Make tiny adjustments, a sway, a bend in the knees, a softening of the belly, until your body finds a place of least effort.
Notice:
Where does my body naturally want to settle?
Let the exhale be longer than the inhale.
2. Soft Belly, Soft Jaw (1 minute)
Bring awareness to your lower belly and jaw.
Let both soften at the same time.
Notice how this changes your breath, your throat, your chest, your eyes.
Let your breath become low and wide.
Sense the message in your body:
I am safe enough to soften.
3. Listening Through the Spine (1 minute)
Bring attention to your spine.
Very slowly, make a tiny wave through your spine — not a stretch, just a subtle undulation.
Let your spine find its own rhythm.
Notice where movement feels easy.
Notice where it feels resistant.
Don’t fix anything. Just listen.
Let your spine teach you how to move today.
4. Micro-Movement of Life (1 minute)
Place one hand on your heart or belly.
Let your body make one small, intuitive movement, a shoulder roll, a sway, a circle, a reach, a twist.
Follow what feels nourishing, not what looks good.
Let your body show you how life wants to move through you right now.
Sense:
What does my body need more of: space, grounding, flow, stillness?
5. Relational Presence (1 minute)
Bring awareness just outside your skin.
Feel the space around you as alive.
Sense the subtle exchange between your body and the environment — air, temperature, sounds, presence.
Let yourself be in a relationship rather than alone.
Rest in this shared field for a few breaths.
Quietly feel:
I am in conversation with life.
Closing (Optional One Sentence)
Place a hand on your body and name one felt quality you are carrying into your day:
Softness. Stability. Aliveness. Trust. Flow. Groundedness.
Let the body lead the mind, not the other way around.
“In nature, nothing is perfect, and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”
~Alice Walker
Once again, here is a link to the free lecture on Energetic Herbalism we are offering on Thursday, Feb 19, 2026
The New Book on Tree Wisdom: Living Intelligence of the Ancient Forest