Being is just as essential as doing

It was National Tree Week recently, running from 22–30 November, and at first I found it a slightly curious time to celebrate trees. By then, most of the leaves had already fallen and many branches looked bare. I remember thinking, Why now? But the more I reflected, the more perfect the timing felt.

This phase, after the letting go, before the re-emergence, is actually one of the most important in a tree’s cycle. The trees release what they no longer need and gently move towards their resting period. Their energy draws inward, not out of weakness, but out of deep wisdom. Nature understands that rest is part of growth.

We humans often forget this. We’re conditioned to keep doing, producing, and proving ourselves, even when our bodies and minds whisper that it’s time to slow down. The trees remind us that being is just as essential as doing. Letting go, pausing, and allowing ourselves to recharge isn’t laziness, it’s alignment.

As we move through the darker months, perhaps we can follow the trees’ example: shed what no longer serves, honour our need for rest, and trust that periods of stillness prepare us for future flourishing.

#westhampsteadyoga #privateyoga #privatemeditation #being