The way of water

I was drinking cacao one Sunday afternoon, sitting in my armchair, looking out over the ocean. The intention I made as I closed my eyes and took a breath was to let my mind be at ease and follow my body. 

It is especially when I reflect on the water that I am reminded nature is our greatest teacher – the teachings of the Tao. However, many of us don’t notice the rhythms, the patterns, or the cycles in nature, as we are often caught up in our own – which are, in fact, a reflection of the same. 

This reflection reminded me of a time I did a mindfulness course with a Buddhist monk back in my hometown. He taught us that “meditation is like standing on a bank and watching the river stream by” - the river being our thoughts, physical sensations and emotions. But this is not so simple. Often, we are caught up in the stream - some of us trying to swim, and some of us not, perhaps because we haven’t realised we are swimming, or perhaps because we have simply given up. It’s the strength to notice where we are that is important. The strength to notice and make our way back to the bank, to try and be a witness again, no matter how many times we have to climb back out. Why? Because it is here, we build resilience and discipline in mind, body and spirit - qualities that guide us on the path of presence.  

We learn to be like water - to flow and be fluid, to adapt and to be amorphous not only in our external environment but also within our internal vessels. In saying this, with change, anxiety often arises. 

Can you learn to be the witness, to be present with whatever is showing up, without trying to fix anything but instead asking yourself, what can I learn from this? 

The mind will tell us many things, some of which aren't true. Can you watch its rhythms, its patterns, its cycles, just as we watch the water, just as we watch nature? Perhaps what you see outside is a reflection of what is going on inside.