10/11/2025
To “put down roots” also means to commit, to a place, to a community, to a way of life. In yoga, this commitment takes the form of satsang, good company, the shared field of practitioners who encourage and support one another. Science mirrors this truth in the study of what biologists call the mycorrhizal network, sometimes known as the “wood wide web.” This underground fungal web connects the roots of trees and plants across great distances. Through it, forests share both warning and nourishment: when a tree is attacked by pests, nearby trees increase their defensive chemicals; when a neighboring sapling grows in poor soil, mature trees send it extra nutrients through the fungal filaments. Even dying trees have been shown to release their remaining carbon and minerals into the network to feed others.
This mycorrhizal web offers a striking metaphor for satsang. Through our shared practice we, too, exchange nourishment, wisdom, compassion, and care. When one practitioner suffers, others can help sustain them; when one thrives, that growth enriches the whole. The stronger and deeper our roots, both individual and collective, the greater our resilience as a community.
There are times, however, when we feel uprooted: disconnected from our practice, our teachers, or our sense of belonging. Loss, grief, or doubt can leave us feeling adrift, as if the soil has been stripped away. Yet the instinct to return home, to root again, is powerful. Sometimes it takes years of effort to re-establish that grounding; other times it happens the moment we step onto the mat, sit on the meditation cushion, or remember to breathe with awareness. Meditation, like the steady deepening of a root system, draws us downward into stillness. It anchors the restless mind and allows us to be nourished by the practices we’ve cultivated. It allows us to “return to our roots.”
November 2025 FOTM
Rooted Strength by Jules Febre
Link in bio
