No mud, no lotus.
When I completed my 200-Hour yoga teacher training in 2012, my wife, Faith, gave me a lotus flower necklace and a large mug from the “seconds” shelf at our friendly neighborhood pottery studio. The mug has a thumb-sized dent and a long scar across one side. The glaze is a bit messy, and the opening is a bit angular. It is utterly unique, and absolutely perfect in its imperfections. On the bottom of the mug, she wrote:
Transformation * intention * strength * drive * spirit * breath * soul * mind * courage * fearlessness * peace * self-love ~ Yoga means You!
That mug has become “my mug,” and I use it every day. It has character, and reminds me of the Japanese phrase wabi sabi, which means finding beauty in the imperfections and accepting the natural cycle of life. I was at a time of transition in my life, as I am again now, and the mug reminds me to trust the process, savor the transformation, and to see the beauty in change.
As for the necklace - I have worn it everyday since, including on my wedding day (much to my mother’s chagrin!). The lotus is a beautiful flower that grows up out of muddy, mucky water. Without the mud, we don’t get the beautiful bloom, or, as Thich Nhat Hanh wrote, “No mud, no lotus.” The lotus flower is a symbol of honoring the balance between the shadow and the light, and is a potent reminder that what we see on the surface doesn’t tell the whole story. My intention as a human, and as a practitioner, is to honor my whole self, and to hold space for people to be their full selves. Like the lotus, I believe that suffering and joy can coexist at the same time. I believe there is beauty in the imperfections, and aim to see the whole picture, not just what is on the surface.