Trees and Letting Go

Do you know why trees lose their leaves? I didn’t really understand the science behind it. After a little research, it seems trees are familiar with one of the big tenants within a yoga practice, non-attachment.

It’s one of the ideas that can be confusing. But so is the fact that deciduous trees in the Northern Hemisphere lose their leaves and regrow them every year. Seems a bit silly to get rid of something and have to make it all over again each year.

Trees are complex systems that are constantly working to maximize resources. Leaves are very helpful to produce food for the tree when days are warm and light-filled. Once the cool temps creep in leaves are less helpful as they hold water and would freeze quickly. At a cellular level, a tree knows it needs to let go of that season’s leaves. In yoga, we talk about letting go of a habit or patterns of thinking or behavior that is no longer serving you.

Trees even have a system of literally “cutting off the leaves” sooner rather than later to maximize resources. When the weather turns, they pull whatever nutrients are left in the leaves back into the tree, hence the changing colors in fall. Then little, “abscission” cells appear at the place where the leaf stem meets the branch to help cut the leaf off. (Abscission shares the root word with scissors and are the cells that are stained red in the image above that mark the boundary between the branch and the leaf.)

Trees are not afraid to let go. They do not have a thinking mind that begins to worry about if their leaves will grow back in the spring. Leaves have a purpose and season. In yoga, the practice of non-attachment is about the acceptance that life also has seasons and cycles, which come with many events and experiences, joys and challenges-many things we cannot control.

But we can control how we flow with life and where we choose to put our attention and energy. Are you hanging on to the past, worrying or focused on all the things that are out of your control and not working in your life?

Non-attachment is not about not feeling things. Just the opposite, enjoy those beautiful leaves when they are in full bloom, then when the season changes, accept what is next and be open and ready for what the spring ahead will offer.

You may be pleasantly surprised.