Still the Mind, Find Your True Self
By Pauline Zweck, RYT-200, Certified Viniyoga Wellness Instructor, 5 Koshas Yoga & Wellness
“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the end of strings that somebody else pulls.” – Howard Thurman
1.3 Tadā draṣṭuḥ svarūpe ‘vasthānam
Then the Seer (Self) abides in His own true nature.
1.4 Vṛtti sārūpyam-itaratra
At other times {the Self appears to} assume the forms of the mental modifications.
We humans are constantly letting our thoughts define our world and ourselves. We cannot get in touch with our true Self until we learn to clear our mind. Patanjali reminds us that we are all divine expressions of the universe. Behind the different forms of energy is one unchanging Self. A still mind understands this and sees their neighbors as themselves.
When I was young, I felt connected to Self. Growing up on a farm afforded me many opportunities to just be one with nature; a creek, tall grasses, a woods with wildflowers and raspberries, a 360 degree expanse of the horizon, witnessing skies before they had to compete with manmade light. Utter and complete freedom. There was a oneness in my small world of nature and family. My mind had yet to start carrying on conversations with me, or if it was, I was too pure and innocent to know I should be listening.
Then the layers came. I’ve often contemplated on when this first occurred. A time comes in one’s life when you realize other people have expectations of you. This repeats and repeats many times over. I dutifully lined up to accept the layers and identities. Even when these are positive, the separation begins. I am this, you are that. Many of us relish and foster our uniqueness, voraciously adding to our collection. Until we experience a burden.
All the things we identify with sometimes gang up and clutch at our true Self like heavy armor that is a few sizes too small and it becomes necessary to step back, breathe and let the armor fall away lest it smother us. Once we remove the years of labeling, we can discover that we all exist from the same source of energy.
Pauses are necessary. I connect with my true Self by meditating, or resting in my hammock. Taking time to watch a leaf, the sky, a bird, brings the oneness back. I give over. The armor drops away. With the Self there is no effort. It just simply is.
Pauline Zweck, RYT-200, trained at the 200 level in 2007, studying a blend of yoga disciplines with a focus on modifications and moderation to make the practice available to all. In 2015, Pauline became certified to teach Viniyoga, a style of yoga that is adapted to support your physical and emotional needs throughout the various stages of life. Pauline teaches at 5 Koshas Yoga & Wellness on Tues at 5:30 pm (Yoga for Beginners & Beyond), Wed at 12 noon (Mental & Physical Balance) and as a long-term sub from Nov – April for Mon 8:30 (Senior Yoga Therapeutics-Mat) and 10:00 am (Senior Yoga Therapeutics-Chair). She is also faculty with the 240 hr. River Flow Yoga Teacher Training.