We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melanie Pensak. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melanie below.
Melanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’re complete cheeseballs and so we love asking folks to share the most heartwarming moment from their career – do you have a touching moment you can share with us?
It brings me great joy to help guide others to become more aware of and attuned to the natural world through meditation and contemplation of the their own natural environments. I would love to share the following story with you which points to the power of connecting again with trees and nature. One friend interested in nature meditation practice agreed to practice partnering with a tree for a month. I found this particularly moving because she lives in the heart of New York City! She found support from a tree friend amidst change and uncertainty in her life.
Even if you’re not out in the country, you can develop a relationship with a tree and partner with one in your local neighborhood. Kristen, who lives on Munsee Lenape and Wappinger land now called Manhattan in New York City, US, chose to partner with a beautiful weeping willow tree that she saw on her weekly runs. Kristen lives alone at her small studio apartment with a couple herbs and plants, and also cohabitates with her partner Andrew and his many plants at his apartment. Kristen has a regular, formal vipassana and metta meditation practice. She considers herself Buddhist with a Christian cultural background. She’s always been fascinated by and holds deep respect for different religious traditions. Kristen has always been drawn to tradition and ritual, particularly earth-based practices. Although she lives in the city, she relies on being outside with fresh air, sunshine and nature for her basic sanity. She doesn’t always spend a lot of time outdoors during the Covid pandemic, but it’s an essential part of her day. Kristen runs long-distance and finds outdoor runs to be much more nourishing than treadmill runs.
Kristen felt the mother-like weeping willow chose her for this practice, as it held its branches out wide inviting her to come visit. Admittedly at first, it was a challenge to start a new practice as she was experiencing health difficulties. But the practice ended up being very supportive for her health and well being.
At least three times a week, Kristen would visit the tree offering gifts such as pine cones from a nearby evergreen or tea from her mug. She felt surprised to see others had also offered gifts to the tree, which caused her to then wonder who else was visiting. Offering gifts and saying, “thank you” to the tree felt more natural over time, and she was aware of not wanting to say it or offer a gift when others walked by, seeking a personal experience with the tree being. Her visits became more spontaneous over time providing many ways to practice with the tree.
Kristen would visit and stand with the tree connecting to it through her senses. She touched the bark, noticing how sometimes it felt dry, moist or cold. She visually saw how the tree was a host to so many other living beings like lichen and birds. Kristen noticed how the branches looked different depending on the weather and how naked weeping willow branches appeared like skeletons, bare, honest and straightforward. Sometimes when sitting with or laying under the weeping willow, the wind would come and the branches would playfully smack her in the face, seeming to say, “wake up!” She enjoyed watching the tree change from day to day. Kristen noticed the willow branches seemed very thin and weak upon first glance, but through watching them sway in the wind, she realized that their flexibility made them strong. Kristen felt this sense of both flexibility and strength was just what she needed in her own life.
She felt the initial sensory check with the tree shifted her out of any self-referencing tunnel vision she might have been experiencing by instead opening her up to a wider world. The magical time with the tree left her feeling grounded, clear in the mind and more open through simply connecting to another living being outside. Sometimes, she would sit down against the tree or lay in the snow under it, practicing breathing with the tree. To help ease her health difficulty, Kristen focused on relaxing her muscles. She noticed breathing with the tree helped her feel supported, like she wasn’t going through the challenge alone. She learned through this practice that trees are willing to support us, if we reach out to them.
Kristen reflected that by setting the intention to pay attention to her natural surroundings, she felt more connected to the local land almost immediately. Often when she’d go out for a run, she might spend time worrying about a problem, and instead she immediately noticed how many natural beings were in the city She became more attuned to the details of the natural world and to expansive connection with it through the intention of paying attention through practice. Kristen saw the river, trees and wildlife around her differently realizing she lives on land, not just among concrete and steel. She understood that nature wants to be known in spite of the concrete. Land exists with the city layered on top of it and within it.
Kristen always loved the weeping willow along the river and feels grateful to have trees like them in an urban landscape. The tree provided her support and reminded her that everything changes all of the time. Kristen realized there is something she can count on in the midst of all the seasons changing. While so much in the world is unsteady and unreliable, the trees are consistently ready to support. Kristen also felt the tree provided her inspiration as she noticed her creativity and writing reemerge from spending intentional time with the tree. She affectionately described this partnering with a tree practice as one that helped her remember expansiveness, feel inspiration and cultivate healing. Kristen reported that spending time connecting with a tree felt more natural than spending all day on the computer. She remembered how humans are animals and that partnering with a tree felt more aligned with what humans now think of as “natural” in our society. For example, it feels more natural for Kristen to spend time with trees than spending hours online.
Time spent in relationship with a tree being that has withstood time and many forms of weather can remind humans how resilience is also accessible within us. Kristen’s story is a reminder of how nature is always there to support us, even if we are busy and forget. Making the time to connect brings peace and gratitude. My work in the world is about helping folks to remember the importance of connecting with nature and thinking about how the natural world affects our mind, body and heart.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
As a mindfulness meditation leader and nature-based meditation leader, I help folks who are interested in cultivating a deeper connection to land and the natural world through meditation practices, ritual, study and contemplation. This work comes from years of spending time outside and practicing meditation. The quiet time I’ve spent on land and in natural spaces has helped me to feel more grounded, connected and loving towards myself and the rest of the world. I believe in sharing those learnings with others through meditation classes and one-to-one mentoring, so they may also experience improved health and well-being. I guide people from all over the world online in classes and through mentoring, meeting with folks to help them develop a personalized plan to reconnect with their own natural spaces.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When living on the ranch on Nisenan land outside Sacramento, California, US, my bedroom’s windows did not have any shades or curtains. I didn’t mind much since no one was around on the property, and it provided excellent nature views of the birds and plants. Because of this, I also became increasingly more aware of moon cycles, noticing when the new moon blanketed the land in darkness and when the full moon illuminated the night sky. Every night, the last being I saw before drifting into sleep was an ancient black walnut tree that lived rooted in the front lawn. And every morning, the tree’s wide expansive branches reached out to welcome me to the new day.
One sunny, spring morning, I woke up grumpy and irritable. While I felt grateful to be safe and healthy, I noticed a strong desire arising for human touch as it had been seven weeks without a hug or physical contact with another person due to the Covid pandemic. I was hungry for hugs and moody because I certainly did not know when the circumstances of physical distancing would change. The shelter-in-place orders had been in effect for nearly two months at that point, and I like so many, particularly, singles or those alone, were struggling with how to meet this natural need of being touched. I didn’t realize how supportive the casual hugs I gave and received from friends and family were until they were no longer a part of my life.
Feeling sad and uncertain how to work with this feeling, I got dressed and went outside to the beautiful, black walnut tree which looked over me each night and morning. I noticed that it appeared to protect the tiny house I lived in providing shade and a home to many birds. The tree’s wide and sturdy trunk was about five feet from the front door. I allowed myself to really feel the grief I was holding from a Covid changed lifestyle and the disappointment that there was no one to hug in my life at that moment. Looking at the walnut tree, I noticed how steady it appeared, and I truly appreciated its presence. The tree seemed to be inviting me in for a big hug, and I slowly surrendered. I allowed my hug-deprived body to press against the trunk and my arms to wrap around as far as they could reach comfortably. My face gently made contact against the rough bark, and I chose to soften all over, feeling the support of this tree. I stayed there awhile, taking in the strength of the tree being against my body. I noticed it’s solidness and sensed how it had remained in this spot for hundreds of years. I appreciated how the tree had lived through many different weather patterns and decades which helped me to feel more confident to weather the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic. Over time, I felt calm and peaceful realizing that I had found a new way to receive hugs, love and touch when in isolation.
Each day, I began to offer the tree expressions of gratitude taking the time to stop and pay attention to it as I left the house. I would often touch the tree, sometimes hug it and leave a flower, leaf or stone near the base of the trunk. I developed a beautiful relationship partnering with that tree being and felt it was family to me during that time. When I left, my heart was saddened saying goodbye to such a precious being that impacted me so positively while on the land.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
Being a good listener is of utmost importance as a mindfulness teacher and nature-based meditation leader. Listening to someone’s heart and words with the whole body helps me to intuitively guide them on offerings and practices that will enhance their connection to the natural world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melaniepensak.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love_4_the_land/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovefortheland
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniepensak/
Image Credits
Photography by Anela www.photographybyanela.com