Be like water my friend (Flowing)

This month, we are exploring Gabrielle Roth’s moving meditation entitled 5 Rhythms. This week, we are diving into the first rhythm, Flowing. Yesterday, we began our exploration into the flowing rhythm that frees our heart to creatively express its authentic feelings. This Rhythm is associated with the element of water. When we imagine a river flowing, we can envision how it is not impeded by the rocks and sediment. Rather, it adapts, flowing over, under and around its obstacles, determined to flow, no matter what gets in the way.

“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, it becomes the bottle. You put water into a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”

Bruce Lee

This is often a difficult concept to grasp, allowing ourselves to feel authentically in the moment. I find that when I feel my emotions are sticky and unwilling to flow, I channel the flowing river and imagine the chilled water flowing through my veins. This imagery often allows my stuck feelings to start flowing.

In the beginning, I was afraid the emotions would over-take me, but as I learned to flow with them, to allow them to be experienced in wholeness in the moment, they lose their power over me. Today, as we study the flowing ryhthm, we channel Bruce Lee and the correspondence of water.