Seated
Use a stable chair, bench, or your usual seat. Let your feet rest on the ground or their usual support. Use back support if it helps you feel comfortable.
First lesson · Observation · About 5 minutes
Your first five minutes with a tree.
Begin by becoming acquainted with one living tree. There is nothing particular you need to feel or achieve.
A welcome from Alex Julian
Welcome to Tree Yoga School. Start small. Give one tree a little of your attention, and let this first visit be enough. You can begin exactly where you are.
This welcome and lesson were prepared for the renewed digital school. They adapt themes from Alex’s original book; they are not quotations.
01 · Before you begin
Choose a place you can settle.
Find a tree in a permitted place with stable ground and enough room to sit or stand comfortably. Stay clear of damaged or hanging branches, traffic, and other hazards. Choose suitable weather and keep paths clear.
You can observe from a bench, a wheelchair, or an accessible path. You do not need to touch the tree or sit beneath its canopy. Keep your usual supports and mobility aids with you.
02 · Read once, then practice
Let your attention arrive.
Settle
Notice the support beneath you and the space around you. Keep your eyes open and your breathing comfortable. There is no need to deepen or control it.
Observe
Look at the tree. Notice one detail: a pattern in the bark, the shape of a branch, a leaf, or the way light falls across it. Let your gaze move naturally.
Listen
Notice sounds nearby and farther away. Perhaps leaves move, a bird calls, or people pass. You do not need silence to practice.
Return
When your attention wanders, gently return to one detail of the tree. Wandering is part of the practice. Begin again as often as you need.
Let the visit last about 5 minutes, or less if that suits you today. Precise timing is unnecessary. Change position or finish whenever you need to.
Optional · Original teaching with Alex Julian
Watch the original chapter lesson.
When and Where · 18:39. This longer chapter video accompanies the original book. It provides wider context; it is not a step-by-step demonstration of the shorter adapted practice on this page.
The video connects to YouTube only when you choose to load it.
Watch on YouTube When and Where — Video lesson with Alex JulianCaptions were unavailable in the source player when reviewed on October 17, 2026. A verified transcript is not yet available here. The Read section gives complete written instructions for this adapted practice; it is not a transcript of Alex’s video.
Explore the original chapter companion03 · Your practice begins here
Put the screen away.
Spend a few minutes with the tree.
Keep your device available if you need it for access, navigation, or communication. You can return to the reflection afterward.
04 · After your visit
What did you notice that you might otherwise have passed by?
Hold the answer quietly, or write a sentence in your own notebook. You do not need to submit or share anything. When you are ready, return to your day. Another short visit is a complete next step.
Roots of this lesson
From the original book to a first practice.
This is a new introductory adaptation for the digital school, developed with AI assistance. It combines observation, accessible position choices, and a short practice period; the sequence and reflection question are new.
- Original teaching
- Chapters 3 and 4 introduce choosing a tree and beginning with five or ten minutes; Chair Meditation offers a seated reference.
- New adaptation
- The four observation steps, accessible position choices, natural breathing, and reflection form a new introductory sequence.
- Chapter 3, “Who and How,” printed pp. 13–17: practice pathways and choosing a tree.
- Chapter 4, printed p. 28: beginning with 5 or 10 minutes.
- Chapter 5, “Chair Meditation,” printed p. 92: seated practice, adapted here for comfortable natural breathing and usual supports.
This observation lesson makes no medical or healing claims. Leave bark, roots, wildlife, and habitat undisturbed.
Want to get to know a particular tree? Meet Pine in the Tree Library.