Adaptability

I have been taught over the past few years to pay attention to signs, those occurrences of signals that appear, particularly when they seem to arrive in clusters. It's as though the Universe is tapping me on the shoulder, asking me to notice its subtle messages. This past couple of weeks, the image of water has been popping up. The first sign was in a story about a woman who moved from her hectic life in Manhattan to the quiet island of Bermuda. Whilst living in Bermuda, she became highly conscious of her water usage as their only source came from rainfall. She began to take shorter showers and turn the tap off as she brushed her teeth. This part of her story resonated with me as my water consciousness grew during our recent drought in California.

In the news this past week, it was reported that San Francisco had its highest daily rainfall since 1849. A deluge that soaked not only the city but parts of Northern California, so much so, that the Yosemite Valley was closed for a bit due to the rising waters of the Merced River. SO much rain, in great contrast to the conservation mindset of being in Bermuda.

The final sign was during our discussion of using the natural environment for themes during yoga classes during this past weekend's Yoga Teacher Training. We talked about how water has the same molecular structure but takes on different forms of solid, liquid and gas. As I reflected as to why I kept seeing water signs, I came to the insight that it's all about adaptability and that, perhaps, I am being reminded to lessen my rigidity and go with the flow.

As I pondered my water signs, I did a bit of research on how it relates to the world of yoga. I found profound insights from Swami Sivananda, a renown yogi who established a lineage that's active today through ashrams in Rishikesh, India and the Bahamas. He spoke about adaptability as a way of connecting to one another, a way of eliminating selfishness, and winning the "battle of life by a little bit of bending". And in order to be adaptable to all beings, "you must be flexible, humble and simple, gentle and soft". As I came across this, I thought, "Ah! That's what water has been trying to tell me...to be a bit less rigid around my schedule, my exercise and diet regimens, my opinions and beliefs. Water is reminding me to ease up and find the flow of life to enhance my connections to others. Wow.

As I reflect further, I see the bigger picture with many of my weekly themes around connection, community, adjusting our practice in order to create our own experience, and finding balance in our life. So in some ways, that's what I've been putting out to the Universe through a series of interrelated intentions, and just like a wave washing back up to the shore, the Universe in some ways sent an affirmation through the image and power of water. 

My thought for the week is multi-layered. If we slow down enough to find presence, we may begin to see signs that are unspoken and subtle. Pay attention. If we want to manifest something, keep putting it out to the Universe. Remember that we are all in this together, sharing this planet with one another, to enhance and nourish relationships. And finally, remember the words of Bruce Lee:

Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves. 

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.