No Mud, No Lotus (our beautiful & messy parts)

Do you ever feel like your body won’t cooperate? Like your mind knows exactly what to do, but your body has a mind of its own?

This is what happens when we separate from ourselves.

By separate, I mean, we cut ourselves up into various categories and decide which ones are good and which ones must go.

We all have everything within us. Everything you love and hate about everyone in the world is also present in you. The things you love are the parts of you that meet your approval. The things that make you the angriest are the parts of you that you absolutely deny exist.

I love this quote by Thich Nhat Hanh:

No mud, no lotus.

The lotus grows from the mud under the water. You cannot have a lotus flower without mud. We are exactly like this. You take away our muddy parts, all our beauty goes as well.

How do we begin to accept all of our parts, the light and the dark?

Before you can accept, you first must see.

Exercise #1:

1. Who annoys you the most?
2. What is the number one most annoying thing they do?
3. Take a deep breath and say to yourself, “I am ready to see. I am ready to be whole.”

Ready?

• Whatever that person does. However they act. However they are. This is a part of you that you do not want to see. You do not acknowledge or accept it so it tries to get your attention by reflecting it back in other people.
• We ALL have EVERYTHING inside of us.
• The qualities we do not see or accept, control us unconsciously. When we accept all of our parts, we can consciously navigate our life.

Excercise #2: (It’s more fun!)

1. Who do you admire?
2. Why do you admire them?
3. Take a deep breath and say to yourself, “I am ready to see. I am ready to be whole.”

Ready?

• The traits this person has shine brightly in you. Believe it, own it. 

The shadow allows the light to shine more brightly.

When you bring all parts of yourself into your conscious awareness, you become integrated.

You no longer self-sabotage. You no longer say, “Why did I do that?”

You finally say to yourself (and mean it), “I love you.”