The inner and outer worlds of water

Water flows in us, through us and around us. Between 55 to 75 percent of human body weight is water. Our brains are about 70% water.

Water seeks movement by gravity, diffusion, wind and pressure. Water is heavy but it moves with grace, power and ease. Seventy percent of the earth's surface is covered by water. Life as we know it could not exist without water. It is constantly changing through movement. We usually think of water in its liquid state but it can also change to a solid (ice) or a gas (water vapor).

A Japanese entrepreneur named Masaru Emoto began to photograph water crystals through a microscope as they started to melt after being frozen. These crystals emerge for only 20 - 30 seconds. He found that the water crystals had beautiful shapes when they were from clean water sources but were almost formless, ugly shapes when they were from polluted sources.

He also experimented with distilled water, the most neutral form of water. He exposed the water to words, either spoken or written, and the vibration of these words would cause the crystalline structure of the water to change.

Negative words caused crystals to form that were like water from a polluted source, very ugly and dull. Words that have a positive meaning formed brilliant crystals. Love and gratitude together form one of the most beautiful crystals (seen in the photo above) that Dr. Emoto has photographed. Just as water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, love and gratitude work together to complete a key vibration.

Dr. Emoto's experiments have not been validated by other scientists. But what a beautiful metaphor he offers us for the connections between our inner and outer worlds. We know our bodies are more than half water and we can feel how emotions affect our bodies. Could it be possible that the crystalline shape of water is transformed through energy vibrations?

When we practice yoga we want to feel love and gratitude in our hearts and minds. If we practice from a place of self-criticism our practice will not flow with grace and ease. Holding our breath or not breathing fully restricts our practice. If we focus on our hamstrings being tight, our body will tighten in response to that thought. But if we direct our attention to feeling gratitude that our hamstrings have something to teach us and they can change, it will help the hamstrings to open more naturally. When our thoughts are stagnant, they have a direct impact on the condition of our bodies.

Try sitting and thinking of the words "hate and despair". How does that feel? Now sit and think of the words "love and gratitude". Do you feel different? Love creates an opening and expansion and gratitude creates a grounding and wholeness. What we feel on the inside is reflected on the outside. Make a practice of focusing on love and gratitude and observe how your life will unfold.