Many many years ago when I began my yoga path, I was attending a training with a strong-minded and in your face kind of teacher. Since that day, I fondly recall how he showed me the door that was cracked open in my soul and ultimately my life.

He shared this lesson from Rumi and asked us to sit with what it really means. The conclusion is that what we are drawn to in others is only visible because it is familiar within ourselves. If you see me and notice my kindness, it is because it exists in you. It’s familiar. On the flip side and truly more challenging is if you see something in someone else that you don’t like, it is because that too is also in you…which means it’s time to do some inner work.

When we can learn to recognize that we are just a reflection of each other, we change.

And that can open up a beautiful opportunity to grow.