Acceptance Is the Opposite of Resistance
4/14/25
Mystical Musings
When life doesn’t go the way we planned, or when our bodies don’t look or function the way we would prefer, we tend to beat ourselves up – an act of resistance to our reality. And we resist all kinds of things in our lives — past life events, the state of our relationships, aspects of our own personalities, our physical bodies, and even current political and world events. But, typically, once we are in resistance to events or life circumstances, there is little we can do in the moment to completely fix what is “wrong” or undesired. The answer, then, is…you guessed it — Acceptance.
Resistance can take many forms – opposition, separation, fighting, avoidance, refusal, denial, or attempting to change “what is.” Acceptance, on the other hand, is embracing, acknowledging, allowing, being present with, and experiencing something fully and willingly. Acceptance does not mean you have to enjoy or like the thing you are in resistance to. It is, however, a powerful act of transformation.
When allowed to process emotional energy naturally, even when it’s uncomfortable or unpleasant, our emotions either transmute into more positive energy and become internalized, or they get flushed out of our system. So, while resistance might offer short-term relief, it actually worsens the emotional blockage over time, while acceptance allows us to gain a more accurate and helpful view of our reality.
In writing this article, I have relied heavily on @ThisisMariya’s video (linked below). In it, she states: “Being in a state of resistance is actually the very opposite of being in the state of peace.” In other words, to achieve a state of peace, we must allow the energy (i.e., the emotions) we experience in reaction to an event or state of reality to pass in us and through us, instead of keeping them within our body and energy field through resistance. “That thing that you are in resistance to…gets quite literally stuck in your energy field.” In fact, energy is not meant to remain constant and unmoving, it naturally exists in a state of motion.
When we have an experience or thought, we have an automatic emotional response to it. If we allow the natural wavelike expression and passing of that emotional energy, it can then transmute into a different, hopefully more positive emotion, or it passes out of our energetic system entirely. But if this natural processing does not occur, either in the moment or soon afterwards, the energy of those unexpressed emotions become lodged within us. Over time, this “negative” energy becomes more and more entrenched inside our bodies and psyches, wreaking havoc on our sense of well-being and on our physical health.
“If you're in the state of resistance towards gravity,
and then you jump off a cliff, gravity is still there.”
— @ThisisMariya
You can think of the human energy system as being similar to a garden hose. A kink in the hose represents resistance to the natural flow of the water (our emotions). The pressure from the blocked water (our repressed emotions) steadily builds over time, even calcifying (solidifying and becoming even more “stuck” within us), until we can no longer function. Not only does the built up energy become harder to conceal, it also becomes more difficult to deal with it appropriately once the kink is finally released (i.e., when we finally decide to face that which we are in resistance to). Unfortunately, even though we may try to avoid or deny the existence of those things about ourselves or our lives that we do not like, they do still, in fact, actually exist (much like gravity!).
If we are serious about healing, we must be willing to face those things that make us uncomfortable. We must face our fears if we want to break the cycle of reliving the emotional pain from past events and circumstances. This applies to resisting the state of our bodies snf the state of our relationships, as well.
Trust that the Universe has brought these specific hard-to-deal-with things into your life for a reason. And that reason, of course, is to teach us to become more of our True Selves - stronger, wiser, kinder, and more loving. As Mariya stated, “Your Higher Self, your guides, the Universe…would never put a struggle in front of you, an impediment in front of you, a challenge in front of you, a painful situation in front of you, unless they knew one hundred percent that it would serve you to go through that experience.”
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Spiritual Practice
Adapted from This is Mariya
Journal Prompts
What feelings are you in resistance to, hiding from yourself, or avoiding? Is there something in your life causing you pain or suffering?
What is “awful,” “bad,” or “terrible” in your life? What is the worst thing that has happened to you?
What do you perceive to be your shortcomings? What things about yourself do you try to ignore? Have you internalized others’ criticism or negative feedback about you or your work? Do you consider yourself to be a perfectionist? Do you lack self-worth?
What in your current life do you refuse to acknowledge? What areas of your life or which relationships do you feel pain or resistance around?
Daily Prompt
What am I in resistance to today? Did anything happen today that I am in resistance to?
Meditation
Before you begin, read through the entire exercise to become familiar with the steps.
When you’re ready, find a quiet space where you can sit or lay in a relaxed position. Then, remembering the sequence as best you can (or listening to a voice recording of yourself reading the script), go through the meditation practice. Bonus points for journaling about your experience afterwards!
Choose a specific, but not overly painful, point of resistance that you would like to work on.
Now, in your mind’s eye, see your chosen point of resistance – an object, thought, emotion, event, or person (maybe even a particular aspect of yourself). Picture what you are in resistance to right in front of you. If it is a thought or an emotion, imagine that it takes shape into a three-dimensional object.
Once the object has solidified, observe it closely and notice every detail. What shape is the object? Does it have a color? Does it have a texture? What else about it stands out to you? Do not close yourself down or shy away from it – simply take it at face value.
Now, gently start to feel your heart space activating. The door to your heart chakra opens gradually. It opens wider and wider, until you can feel your entire chest expanding outwards in all directions.
With your heart wide open, look at the object in front of you. Bring the object close to you. Now drop it gently inside of your heart space, as deep as it wants to go. Accept it fully, remembering that your heart has an infinite capacity for healing and acceptance.
Once the object is inside of your heart space, let it sink inside of your body. Accept it into your body as deep as it wants to go. Imagine your body as it hugs the object, encapsulating it, enveloping it in love and warmth.
Now, say out loud or silently within: “I am saying ‘yes’ to this thing I have been in resistance to. I am allowing it to be, just as it is. I am no longer in resistance to it and I allow it to exist in my reality. To the Universe, my guides, and my Higher Self, I declare that I no longer place judgment on this thing that I was in resistance to. I am saying ‘yes’ to this thing. I accept it fully in this moment, with love and compassion. And so it is.”
Sit in meditation for a few moments more. If any emotions or feelings come into your awareness, simply allow them to occur.
BONUS JOURNAL PROMPT:
While you are still somewhat in the meditative state, ask the Universe, what is the lesson to be learned from this thing you were in resistance to? Why did this happen in your life?
What are you the mirror to that caused you to align with that object, event, or person?
Further Reading
“Acceptance vs. Resistance” by Caroline Costin
