"The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals."

The lotus flower is a beautiful flower that can be found all over the world. But the start of this flower's life is not as beautiful as one might imagine. It’s unlike many other flowers. When the lotus first begins to sprout, it is under murky water, making its home in lakes and ponds in areas where the water remains fairly still on the surface. But underneath the surface, the lotus is surrounded by mud and muck and by fish, insects, and dirty, rough conditions.

Despite these conditions, the lotus flower maintains strength, and pushes aside each of these filthy obstacles as it makes its way to clearer surfaces. At this time, the lotus is still just a stem with only a few leaves, and a small flower pod. But in time, the stem continues to grow, and the pod slowly surfaces above the water, into the clean air, finally freeing itself from the harsh conditions below. It is then that the lotus slowly opens each beautiful petal to the sun, basking in the worldly beauty surrounding it. The lotus flower is finally ready to take on the world.

Despite being born into dark, dank, and murky conditions, where hope for a beautiful life seems dubious, the lotus grows to rise above adversity. Ironically, this same dirty water washes it clean as it surfaces. As the lotus opens each petal to the air, not a stain or spot of mud remains externally. The inner lotus too, has never seen a drop of mud or dirty water. It is pure, and bright, and beautiful. The bud of the lotus symbolizes potential. The lotus flower represents an awakening, spiritual growth, and enlightenment. Just as the lotus flower emerges from the water clean, the lotus also represents purity of body, speech, and mind. The lotus could be thought of as an awakened mind, which grows naturally toward the warmth and light of truth, love, and compassion. The lotus may appear fragile on the surface, but it is flexible and strong, securely anchored under the surface of the water.

We are all like the lotus flower. Many of us live in that murky water, and never make it to the surface so we can blossom. Many of us are closed; we are just buds, ready and eager to feel the sunshine of life on our skin. No matter which stage of life you are in, I’m sure you can relate to this lotus and see yourself in this story. The conditions that produce a beautiful life are not always ideal, but that never stops the lotus from rising through adversity, opening its petals, and blossoming in the sun. The color bears importance in the meaning of the lotus flower. A white lotus flower refers to purity of the mind and the spirit. If a lotus flower is red, it refers to compassion and love. The blue lotus flower refers to the common sense; it uses wisdom and logic to create enlightenment. The pink lotus flower represents the history of Buddha and the historical legends of the Buddha. A purple lotus flower speaks of spirituality and mysticism. Finally, the gold lotus flower represents all achievement of all enlightenment. The stage of growth the lotus flower is in represents a different stage of enlightenment. A closed lotus flower represents the time before a follower found enlightenment. A lotus flower fully bloomed and open represents full enlightenment and self-awareness. The mud represents an importance in the meaning of the lotus flower. All humans are born in a world where there is suffering. This suffering is a vital part of the human experience; it makes us stronger and teaches us to resist the temptation of evil. When we banish evil thoughts from our mind we are able to break free of the muddy water. The mud shows us who we are and teaches us to choose the right path over the easy one. “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

Girls' Shelter Yoga 6.9.15 No mud, no lotus.

I brought in a piece of artwork and made copies for each girl to use as a focal point at the top of their yoga mats. The black and white sketch depicted a lotus flower, both above and below the surface of the water. I asked the girls to take a few moments to simply observe the art, to become focused upon it,

to notice if it evokes any particular thoughts or feelings.

Then we each took turns sharing our observations. From there, the girls all laid down on their backs and became aware of their breath for a guided meditation. I explained the meaning of the lotus flower, how it grows up from the mud, and how we can relate our own lives to this amazing flower.

I talked about how different colors of the lotus symbolize varying things. Then I asked the girls to close their eyes and visualize their own lotus flower. They were instructed to use their imagination to add color, whatever color they liked, for whatever reason they saw fit. They were welcomed to use the colors I had told them about for the reasons I had shared or to color it

with their mind anyway that they wished.

After releasing this visualization meditation, we moved into asana paired with breathing. We used the wall for several cooling poses designed to release heat and stress. The girls were encouraged to try

the poses on for size, to see how they fit, and to modify as needed for their bodies. For savasana, each girl chose her own personal resting posture (legs up the wall, knees bent, on belly, on side, or even just seated). I used a guided breathing meditation that I had written during my YTT to ease them into an advanced state of relaxation. Then I closed the class by playing a beautiful and encouraging song which was written for young girls titled "The Voice Within."