I can solely attribute my love for bark stroking to an ice-breaker exercise of tree hugging by Mr Alistair Livingstone, a set design lecturer from university. As I hugged that tree; and know I remember it well, I was given a momentary glimpse in to a lifeline of connection and a sense of universal consciousness. Remarkably simple to do, it gives breath to life and living.

Bark stroking gives us a chance to slow things down a little. The moment we reach out and touch the bark, feel the textures, observe the colours transforming in the changing light, and breathe in the soft scents permeating the air around us, gives way to a chance reconnect … and a moment of stillness. Why not try it today …?