Learning from Trees - 1 - Phloem and Xylem

Learning from Trees: Roots to Crown - 1 - Phloem and Xylem

Balancing energies up and down

Based on – “Evolving Undulations” from Restorative Rhythms by David Zemach-Berson GCFT®

I am back from a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest. All through the trip I was gently angsting about a there for my next series. Inspired by the gigantic conifers I met on the Pacific Rim Trail and along the iconic waterfalls of the Columbia River gorge, the message came. The next series is based on trees.

I don’t know enough about botany to give formal lessons, but as a tree-hugger, I can take poetic license and extrapolate for my own purposes. Not sure where it will lead, but here we go.

This first lesson came to mind as I was playing with the idea of : the upward and downward flow of water and nutrients through a tree trunk, and how we can apply that imagery to our own, internal energy flows.

A bit of science nerding from Georgia Tech:

  • The structure of plant roots, stems, and leaves facilitates the transport of water, nutrients, and products of photosynthesis throughout the plant. The phloem is the tissue primarily responsible for movement of nutrients and photosynthetic produces, and xylem is the tissue primarily responsible for movement of water. Plants are able to transport water from their roots up to the tips of their tallest shoot through the combination of water potential, evapotranspiration, and stomatal regulation – all without using any cellular energy!

Our lesson, from “Reset Your Body Beat,” compares opposing flows: water up xylem and nutrients down phloem. For us, it’s breathing energy: inhale sends energy down the centerline to the pelvic floor while ground force rises along the legs to the armpits and arms. Exhale lifts the pelvic floor as external forces activate for movement and power.

In traditional Chinese medicine the soles of the feet are called the “Yongquan” (Gushing Spring); it is said that the earth’s watery energy enters the body there. This lesson is the same: let energy flow like water from the feet to the hands, like a tree moves water from roots to crown and back. And like the leaf’s nutrients circulating through the whole body. Chooooo! (Kidney sound)

A bit of a stretch, perhaps, but we will see where it goes.

Download the Healing Sounds Chart

Science Nerd Candy Bowl:

Set up for supine lesson:

  • Lying on a mat with appropriate support for head and legs as needed

  • Room to extend arms overhead with legs long

  • Or sit on a firm chair

    How you might feel after this lesson: Feeling taller with each breath; Connecting feet to crown energetically; Relating pelvic floor to balance and power; A moment of relationship with nature and trees?

LessonsJacki Katzmanpelvic floor, spine, foot to spine connection, glutes, breath, abs, ribs, Learning from Trees, AY97