On Being Rooted — Lessons from a Windy Day in the Forest
Originally shared with my Soulful Inspirations community — a reflection on what trees can teach us about being grounded and alive. If you would like to join, please click here to sign up
The Storm
The other day, my partner and I went for a walk in a forest overlooking the Elbe River in Germany, near where I live. It was quite a wild, windy day, and the wind was tearing through the tree canopies, making loud sounds like crashing waves at a wild ocean. We wondered whether it was really wise to be out in the forest at all — but well, we were already in it, so we kept going.
They were mainly large trees with thick trunks, and as the winds got even stronger, we found a spot by a huge one to wait it out. I leaned gently against the tree trunk, feeling its sturdy safety (I’m a bit of a chicken in that regard, I have to admit). It was surprisingly calm — like we had entered into a still bubble. So I rested back some more; it was about three times my size, and it felt strong and steady and seemed to radiate out its protection.
As my back relaxed into it, I started to feel the smallest creaking movements in the tree — a subtle swaying and squeaking with the wind that ran through its trunk.
The tree’s quiet teaching
It surprised and touched me deeply to feel this movement, even though it’s logical that it has to move to withstand such a strong storm. I guess because the tree was so huge, some part of me had assumed it was just standing still. But no — it was doing its own dance with the wind. Just being with what was happening — firmly planted in the ground while the thinner branches high up bent over, clasping at their leaves. The canopy was wild with movement, and it sounded like a frothing ocean.
So often we think being grounded means being unshakable, unchanging. But this tree was reminding me that real groundedness isn’t about stillness at all. It’s about allowing life to move through us while staying rooted in what holds us from within — our deep inner truth, our quiet inner depths, the essence that always guides us back home.
Even when there’s no storm outside — when everything seems still or we feel caught in place — our bodies are quietly moving: tiny fascial rhythms, the soft pulse of the heart, the gentle tide of the breath. These movements are life itself, always waiting to bring us back into our own aliveness, even in challenging times, and we can consciously reconnect to them at any time.
I was thankful to receive this teaching, which has continued to weave its way into my life in surprising ways.
Returning to Our Own Roots
When life feels like a storm, perhaps we don’t need to brace so hard against it, we can stay soft inside and move with what we feel, still be grounded.
Let us be supported by those quiet inner swaying movements — the ones that help us bend, breathe, feel, and help others as we stay grounded in our own roots.
I guess being a tree is a bit easier than being a human in that respect — but what a beautiful metaphor, don’t you think?
Julia Kyambi is a medical doctor turned intuitive guide.
You can read more about me here