Twilight is falling on the mountain. Meandering through the edges of the forest during the in-between time before dark, opens up unexpected communication with the plant spirits. The old birch tree in the distance beckons and asks me to look more closely. I offer my attention as reverence and the stories embedded into her gnarled skin start to move, take shape and speak.

Kristen Butera is a multi-media artist, writer and educator living by the Atlantic Ocean in southern New Jersey. She is the owner of the YogaLife Institute, where she trains yoga teachers and yoga therapists, and is the author of Yoga Therapy: A Personalized Approach for Your Active Lifestyle (Human Kinetics, 2017). Learn more at www.yogalifeinstitute.com.

All photographs © Kristen Butera 2021.