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Allowing Your Lotus To Bloom – Part 1

Yoga | Yoga for Beginners

As a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water and rises out of water to stand above it unsoiled, so I, born in the world, raised in the world having overcome the world, live unsoiled by the world
~Buddha

There is something about the image of the lotus flower that instantly reveals its strength and beauty. Its roots dive deep into the mud, holding a firm foundation. The strong stem pushes upwards, through the water, each drop effortlessly falling off its petals as it opens itself to the sun, absorbing its warmth, beauty and joy.

It reminds us that something beautiful can arise from something unpleasant, that the mud that holds us down can actually be our tool of growth.

Dreams Versus Reality

In 1999, I was living in London. I had a two-year work visa, and intended on making a mark in the dance industry, having just completed a Certificate in Dance. It was a challenging time. The friends I stayed with all held down full time jobs, and got to enjoy the luxuries of random travel to Paris, Spain and Italy.

I, on the other hand, worked casually at the infamous Pineapple Dance Studio, where I enjoyed my run ins with the likes of The Spice Girls, Atomic Kitten and Westlife. Although I wouldn’t dare give this experience up to be in an office full-time, the experience I was creating in my reality, didn’t match the dream that I had in my heart.

There were some serious wires crossed and I struggled to figure out why I could see something so clearly, but was always a step away from making it an actual reality.

The Metaphor of the Lotus Flower

They say the lotus flower represents the experience of suffering that we are born into, being life itself,

and the rising of the lotus from the mud is like the expansion of the soul, once we can untangle ourselves from outdated beliefs.

The mud that the lotus must pierce represents our attachments, experiences and beliefs that we know have occurred, but we kind of put at the back of the our mind, mistaking them for long forgotten memories and missing the moments when they show up in our present.

A lot of time has passed since 1999, and although I have created a life that embraces independence, travel and a beautiful community of yogis, there are still left over beliefs that continue to sabotage my effort to really expand. It seems to be that the multi layers that make us who we are need to be completely synched before the experience of soul expansion can take flight.

Laws of the Subconscious Mind

All personal changes must take place at the subconscious level. ~Tony Robbins

It is said that the universe works based on the law of attraction. Like a magnet, we put out what we desire to happen, and if everything is working harmoniously, we draw towards us the experience as a manifestation. Ideas that have strong emotions attached to them will always impact your subconscious mind.

Our subconscious mind is the feeling mind; meaning, once the ideas are accepted, they tend to produce the same reaction within the body over and over again, regardless of whether the circumstances are real or just imagined.

Pushing Through The Mud

Okay, so we get that our subconscious mind is like the mud that the lotus lives in until it is ready to rise above and bloom. But we also note how useful the mud is, for without it, the lotus would not be able to allow the roots to bloom into the flower it becomes above the surface.

To truly allow the lotus to bloom requires the training of your mind that will lead you to observing your mental patterns and behaviors and developing a stronger sense of self-awareness.

Meditation is a tool that can assist in this process of finding your focus and beginning to eradicate beliefs that are sabotaging your efforts, rather than enhancing your natural gifts.

In part two we will delve into the Power of Meditation and how to use it as an empowering tool in your life.

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