Getting Muddy

“The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. In order to grow and gain wisdom, first you must have the mud — the obstacles of life and its suffering. … The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life. … Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one. ” ~~ Goldie Hawn

Picture courtesy of Kate Goodyear Yoga)

What a month April has been for me! I talked in my last post about some big changes I’d experienced, and after that post I had two more doosies.

The first big one was that I started a new job. This was a very big deal for me because I’ve never left a company before except for because I was moving away and couldn’t stay where I was. This time, I am staying right where I am in terms of location but have made the leap to a brand-new company. It was such a scary decision for me, but so far, I am so glad I have decided to take the chance.

The second big one just happened on Friday (4/29/2016). My beloved dog Ripley made her way to the Rainbow Bridge, after a year-long battle with cancer. We knew it was coming, and yet, I was caught so off-guard. It seemed like it happened too quick! Here she is, just a few days before she passed (if you look at her hind end, you can see just a few of the tumors that have been plaguing her for all these months).

Though my heart is breaking, I know that she is now free of pain and that we made the right decision to let her go. The last thing I want to do is keep her around just for me, forcing her to continue suffering so much.

All this change, both good and bad, got me thinking about the story of the lotus. It’s one of the most beautiful flowers in the world and opens one petal at a time, but only grows in the mud. I love Goldie Hawn’s take on it, quoted above.

As humans, we experience a variety of suffering in our lives — illness, loss, sadness, death — that represent the mud, so to speak. But it’s how we handle these things — this “mud” — which determines how beautifully we grow. If we can take these things and learn from them, and use them to help us deal with the next bit of mud thrown at us, then the next beautiful petal opens and grows.

Referring to this story has helped me find a bit of peace, as I’ve struggled in dealing with a heaping ton of mud lately! I know that I need to step back, find the lesson in each thing, and determine the path I will take to move forward.

In yoga class this month, we’ll be focusing on extending our poses to the fullest expression we can for our own individual bodies. My students typically have a challenging time with forward folding, and I teach primarily Restorative, Yin and Deep Stretch classes. So we will be spending some quality time exploring our folds, working on ensuring our hamstrings and low back areas are dealing with “the mud” in such a way that we can let that next petal open up.

My wish for each of you this month is to take a look at the mud in your life.  What are the obstacles you are dealing with? What can you do to gain the wisdom, compassion and kindness needed to deal with them?

Doing the work is not always easy, but it’s necessary. Find comfort in knowing that everyone deals with these things at many points throughout their lives, so you are not alone. Reach out to your tribe, your community, your people. Confide in them, ask for advice, let them carry you when you need it. You’ll be surprised just how beautifully all your petals will open and bloom once you do.

Namaste,

Melanie