LotusRisingATX

08/23/2025

No Mud, No Lotus: The Art of Transforming Suffering
Thic Nhat Hanh

“It is of course easy to get stuck in the mud of life… The hardest thing to practice is not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by despair… We’re afraid of being overwhelmed by the pain, so we always seek to run away from it... we try to cover it up by consuming... But we must remember that suffering is a kind of mud that we need in order to generate joy and happiness. Without suffering, there’s no happiness. We have to learn how to embrace and cradle our own suffering and the suffering of the world, with a lot of tenderness.”

08/18/2025

08/16/2025

In recent months, I’ve been to reconnecting with the medicine and wisdom of the sacred lotus and have been called to share the meaning behind Lotus Rising.

In light of recent and traumatic collective events, it is now more than ever, imperative to pause, tend to our grief and pain, and reconnect with sources of light and support. In the days ahead, I’ll be sharing more about the medicine of this ancient and sacred plant in hopes that it awakens your own inner lotus—your resilience, courage, and curiosity. 🪷

07/08/2025

Please share with anyone in Texas 🫶🏽🌻🌵

To book a complimentary phone consultation please fill out the from on my website www.LotusrRisingATX.com/Book

05/23/2025

04/30/2025

🌸 My peach tree in bloom 🌸

04/30/2025

(S R)
Stimulus (S)
Any event or situation that triggers a emotion or reaction. This could be an external event (like a rude comment) or an internal one (like a negative thought).

Response (R)
The action or reaction we have in response to the stimulus. This can be a thought, emotion, or physical behavior.

The Space ( )
The moment between the stimulus and the response. It’s a pause, a window of opportunity, where we have the chance to observe the stimulus, its impact on us, and choose our response thoughtfully.

Mindfulness increases the space ( )
Mindfulness is bringing your attention to the present moment and present experience. This includes observing any stimuli - whether they are internal (thoughts/emotions) or external (environment around you). Sometimes the practice may be returning to our breath, our feet (when in walking meditation), sensory experiences, or a guided meditation/chant.

Mindfulness Misconceptions

Mindfulness isn’t about “clearing your mind” and you can’t be “bad” at mindfulness or meditation. The only goal is to practice. Mindfulness (in my own words) is simply being present with what IS in this moment and witnessing what arises.

The goal is to watch 🧿 or observe, without judgment. Like a neutral narrator. Instead of trying to clear your mind, try be-friending your mind. During a meditation retreat, a teacher once said that when a negative thought comes up he says “oh, now that’s a thought buddy!” And moves on, returning to the object of meditation.

🧠 Our minds gonna do what our minds gonna do

Our mind will constantly try to concoct stories, fantasize/day dream, make to-do lists… etc. The mind will try to re-live the past or /try/ to grasp onto the future, taking us out of the present moment. That’s just what the mind does. The point is that we try our best to approach our mind in a gentle and non-judgmental way. This is the challenge. WHEN (not IF) we veer off away from the present moment THIS is our opportunity to return to the practice. This act of remembering or returning is how we hone our
( S P A C E ) creating skills.