One of the most foundational ways in which we bond with nature is through our breath. Breathing is so basic that we don’t give it much thought unless it becomes impaired.
What if we were to bring our breathing into conscious awareness, realizing that without it we would be dead within a few minutes? If this consciousness led us to the source of our breath — the plant kingdom — surely our relationship to the plants and trees, which are made up of all the elements — earth, air, water, and fire — would change. We would realize that this inherent bond is one that is vital, and without it there would be no human or animal life.
In many traditions breath is more than oxygen flowing in and carbon dioxide flowing out. Breath also carries what the Asian Indians call prana, the Chinese call chi, or what I call spirit. Spirit comes from the Latin word spiritus, which means “breath.” This prana, chi, or spirit is considered to be life force energy, that which enlivens each of our cells.
The respiration process is a rhythmic in-breath or inspiration, and out-breath or expiration, which Swami Rama explains in his book Science of Breath.
“When a person dies, the energy leaves. The body is still there, but the prana departs. Here we return to the matter of breath because breath is the vehicle for prana. When someone dies and the vital energy departs, we say that person has ‘expired.’ On the other hand, when someone experiences increased mental energy and creativity, we say that person is ‘inspired.’ We indicate through our language an intuitive recognition of the relationship between the inspiration, expiration, and the vital energy necessary for life and creativity.”
When we are inspired, we experience mental clarity, an abundance of physical energy and emotional well-being. With spirit coursing through us we become plugged into life and all its diversity.
The trick to being inspired is to be conscious of the life force that rides on our breath, as an eagle rides the currents of the wind, or foam rides the crest of an ocean wave. This life-giving breath is crucial to our well-being, and yet we take it for granted, as if it will always be there for us even if we don’t give it any recognition.
When we awaken to our breath and its inspiring qualities, our creative power within becomes available. Many methods of working with the breath (such as transformational breathwork, holotropic breathwork, and rebirthing, to mention a few) have been developed over the years to serve as a tool for moving through stuck patterns that no longer serve us, helping us reach our full potential.
Reciprocal Breathing With Green Beings
The beauty of breathing is that with every inhalation there is an exhalation, so we have an opportunity to release carbon dioxide, a by-product of cellular exchange of oxygen. This release of carbon dioxide helps set the rhythm of our breath as well as remove what we might see as the spent fuel from the energizing process.
As we release, we also let live, as our carbon dioxide contributes to the in-breath of plants and trees. This reciprocal exchange of breath with the green world creates an interdependent relationship that is a primary bond between humans and nature. When we consciously breathe with the green beings, our bond with nature deepens, and we move beyond our mere physiological needs being met to the nurture of nature.
In my work with plant intelligence, I continue to seek ways to expand my relationship with plants and trees. Focused breathing, which I call Greenbreath, is a profound avenue for bonding not only with plants but with all of nature.
In the early 2000s, I had the good fortune to participate in a transformational breathwork session with a lively group of women. My dear friend and colleague ALisa Starkweather had come to Sweetwater Sanctuary to teach a class in women’s empowerment and lead the breathwork session. When I heard how long we were going to breathe together — over an hour — I was astounded, and I realized this would be an excellent opportunity to go further in my exploration of relationship with the green world.
A Transformational Experience With White Pine
Since plants and trees are the source of my breath, it made sense to me to focus with a particular green friend. I was working with White Pine at the time, so I chose to be guided by White Pine throughout, while also focusing my breath with my budding tree ally. The breathwork was quite intense, and many of my mother issues surfaced as I worked to understand and heal them.
So much happened in this first Greenbreath session as I moved through limiting beliefs from childhood, my ancestral lineage, and beyond, and I realized this was the next level of intimacy with the green nations. I cried, screamed, laughed, feared, and somehow came out the other side breathing with White Pine, one of my most potent personal allies.
As I breathed, my hands began to tingle, while my whole body received a warm flush of radiant energy. I began to wonder if this is what photosynthesis feels like as I merged with White Pine to the point at which I was not certain who was breathing — me or White Pine.
I felt a tingling in my spine, which began to move upward. By the time it reached my upper back, I was in a massive kundalini experience, with waves of ecstatic energy moving in a snake-like fashion up my spine as I reached an ecstatic bonding with White Pine much like an orgasm. I had always thought one might be able to have sex with a plant or tree, but I wasn’t quite sure how. Now I knew. This experience was like none other with a plant or tree.
Greenbreath is a form of journeying into the holographic world of spirit where, through one individual plant spirit, the whole of spirit can be experienced. Since our breath is of spirit, when we focus our breath in this way, we have access to enormous amounts of source energy, which carries a high wave vibration or frequency.
Spontaneous healing — physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually — can occur. New neural pathways can be laid in the brain so that exploration of unknown territory is possible. Through the focus of Greenbreath, not only does your relationship with your plant or tree ally deepen, but also your relationship to yourself, to nature, and to all of life expands.
Pam Montgomery is an herbalist, Nature Evolutionary, international teacher, and Earth elder who has passionately embraced her role as a spokesperson for the green beings. A founding member of United Plant Savers and the Organization of Nature Evolutionaries, she is the author of two books, including her newest: Co-Creating with Nature: Healing the Wound of Separation (Bear & Company, 2025). She lives, works, and plays at Sweetwater Sanctuary in Danby, Vermont.
Find holistic Plant Spirit Medicine practitioners in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.
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