"Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.” ~ Bruce Lee
Water is the most adaptable substance in the world. And if you observe it closely, you might just learn the secrets to living a peaceful life! Here are some important lessons that we can learn from water:
- Let Go! Water doesn't cling to anything. Not the containers it's stored in, or the rivers and oceans through which it flows. It simply goes wherever it’s taken without the need to be in control. Practice: The next time you find yourself in a tough situation, try letting go and allow yourself to be carried with the tide.
- Release Resistance. Water resists nothing. It accepts every state it's in. No matter how pleasant or unpleasant, water allows whatever comes to it to be. It's not fooled or swayed by what's happening on the surface, for it knows that deep within it can only be what it already is. Practice: Allow yourself to fully experience whatever you are going through without needing it to be any different. Observe what happens as you take this approach. The results may surprise you!
- Ebb + Flow. Water never moves in the same way, nor does it stop flowing. Sometimes it goes slowly. Sometimes it moves quickly. And, sometimes it gushes and trickles. Whatever it may be, water continues to flow. Practice: When you find yourself in a situation that's out of your control or difficult to deal with, picture yourself flowing as water would, going everywhere and embracing everything.
- Be Equanimous. Water doesn't prefer one state over the other. It simply continues to be what it is at all times. Practice: Learn to be equanimous with all situations that arise in your life. Whether it's joy or sorrow, excitement or pain, know that every state you are in must eventually flow on. No matter what you're going through, remind yourself that it will pass, and allow what is to be.
- Experience the Journey. Water never stops moving. It's journey never ends. Practice: Be like water and allow and experience all of life! Be with the journey, flow with it and know that wherever it takes you, how ever it takes you, one thing is certain: you will always remain what you truly are deep below the surface ;)
Love + Light,
~Smita :)
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