Recently I underwent a proper Kids Yoga Training and had the opportunity to [re]learn Yoga Philosphy. During the training our Teacher showed us a mindfulness lesson she uses to teach children about kindness in their actions. It started with having a glass or bowl of water and a salt shaker. Our teacher explained that the water is a person you have some kind of relationship with: friend, family member classmate, etc. (The water represents a person because we as human beings are mostly made of water!) The lesson continues by telling the children how our actions, espeically the ones that may not be so kind is the salt. When we do things or say things that are not with the kindest intention is is exactly like when salt is added to water. It is very hard to take the salt out of the water once it dissolves into it. (If you have taken a science class you know that TECHNICALLY you could evaporate the water and have the salt left behind but then techincally if the person is the water you just evaproate a person, which in this analogy I think would be not the best idea!)
When this lesson was being showed to us my heart sank because I know that I have added salt to some of my relationships and I know that I cannot take the salt out of the water. I feel awful, and I feel sad knowing that I have added salt. Our Teacher explain how we need to explain to children that even saying “I’m sorry” doesn’t make the salt disappear from the water, the action still happened and the salt is still in the water. Knowing this my heart felt very heavy. I started to ask myself questions about what it means to have added salt—and WHY did I let salt be added to this water? I came to the realization that it is because I have had salt added to my own water and it made me salty. We all have salt put into our own water glasses, and I believe that when salt is added or perhaps too much salt is added it can cloud our judgements. The salt is the trauma done to us by others, and trauma will affect your actions. When I started to think about life this way it helped with my own conscience, it allowed me to forgive myself so I could move forward in my life. However, it DOES NOT allow myself to condone the actions (the salt) I have put out there into glasses. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to have been taught this simple lesson. It is so easy to say: “Don’t add salt to the water, don’t be mean to others, just be kind.” The simplest things in life can be the hardest things to do ESPECIALLY because life is TESTING YOU. Tests are meant to be challenging, remember school? Getting an A on a test took some effort. This training made me look into my life mirror and made me address who I am, and who I want to be to others. If you have read this post and I have done you wrong, and I have added salt to our relationship, I am sincerely and deeply sorry. As I said before, I can never take that salt back, I can never undo what has been done—but what I can do is do my best to not let any more salt be added and add more water (love) to our relationship to help dilute past mistakes.
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Ava Elise
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