You Are Not What You Think

In the practice of Calm Abiding (Samatha) Meditation, the instructions are very clear. You pick a focus point to settle the eyes on, focus your attention on the breathing and the body. As you begin to gain your internal awareness, you can begin to work with the mind and the body on a much deeper and more profound level. 

One of the first things you realize is that your mind is a mad, runaway train and in some ways you are crazy! This is a wonderful realization. Your mind is just like a gland; it is constantly secreting thoughts. Before I began practicing yoga and meditating, I thought that my thoughts defined who I was. Once I learned to recognize my thoughts and monitor them as they came and went, I began to realize I was something much vaster and greater then just my thoughts. 

At some point in practice you come to the painstaking realization that you are the culprit. You create the stress in your life. That’s right. You can no longer be a victim and you have to grow up and stop blaming other people for your present situation. This comes from the realization that for most of your life, you have been identified by your thoughts. You believed your thoughts are who you were. You were wrong.   

You become empowered when you realize you are not your thoughts, but are able to recognize and monitor your thoughts. This is the awakening to consciousness that can catapult you right out of clinging to your stress into a life of empowerment. 

 

Now this all sounds rather wonderful, but it requires diligent practice. Your mind has been driving that runaway train your whole life and loves to convince you that you are your thoughts, that you are your stress. Your mind will perform all kinds of tricks to get you to cling and hang onto to your stress. 

On a daily basis, I forget this and then I remember it again. I forget and then remember. This remembering is what allows me to let go, cultivating acceptance and happiness in my life. Every time you sit and meditate or practice at Empowered Yoga, you are constantly cultivating this ability to let go. In classes, teachers will instruct the students again and again to become ‘present’ through their breath and their body. Every time you become present and let go of thoughts, your ability to live from a more authentic and happy place becomes realized.