What We Can Learn From The Lotus

A lotus flower grows out of mud. Symbolically I’ve always interpreted this as ‘we can’t grow without the pain’. This sentiment has helped to make challenging situations a bit easier to get through. It is certain that life will bring us all kinds of trials, but it is from these experiences that we build our strength and blossom into our authentic selves. So many of us feel like we aren’t good enough because of our circumstances, be it our family history, financial status, relationship status, the list goes on. But what if we could realize all of our potential and beauty within instead of living a life of lack?

It took me a lot of mud to get to where I am today. I spent many years searching for something outside of myself to make me happy. I wasn’t always secure in my own company and I used lots of other distractions such as relationships and keeping myself very busy and “productive” as a way to avoid myself or my problems. This did not serve me for many years. It wasn’t until I started a consistent yoga practice that I built up my confidence and started to accept all of me. I was constantly facing my fears on the mat and by practicing mindfulness I was able to apply these lessons off my mat as well. Being in self study or Svādhyāya, made me attune to the limiting beliefs and ways I may have been self-sabotaging. Simply put, yoga helped me to become completely comfortable in my own skin. Can you believe it took me 20+ years to get there??

I’m not saying that I have it all figured out, but I learned how to flow with the highs and lows of life. I am still practicing this every day, especially as I take this leap into new territory... As life throws us curve balls, we can learn to stay grounded and face our problems from an empowered space. Just as the lotus submerges into water every night and miraculously reemerges the next day, we too can reset at any stage of life and overcome any obstacle if we believe we can, revitalized and ready to learn what life has to teach us.