I am a loving heart

How easily do you say, “I am….this or that”? I am statements are powerful. They affirm who you believe you are and support growth into who you are becoming. It is easy for the mind to wander into false “I am” statements. Daily life presents many experiences that send a variety of messages about who the world wants you to be. When the mind is tired those messages can be mistakenly accepted as reality. It takes time and effort to strengthen the mind and consciousness to discern the truth about who you are. If you are in this practice, know that you are not alone. I find this translation of Radiance Sutra 108 to be a great guide.

“The next time the thought arises,

‘I want this,’ or ‘I think that,’

Grab hold of this ‘I’ – perceive it by itself.

Wonder, who is this ‘I’?

I am animal,

I am human.

I am a loving heart,

I am a questioning mind.

I am a particle of infinity,

I am witness to creation.

I am consciousness itself.

In meditation, embrace all these dimensions.

Reach into the source: the luminous

World of dancing energies

In ever-changing relatedness.”

- Lorin Roche

Practices like restorative yoga, meditation, and yoga nidra provide a compassionate space inside to witness who you are without judgement or expectation. Western culture teaches people to use their rational mind to understand who they are. The rational mind (neocortex, human mind) is scientifically considered the most evolved in the animal kingdom but it only provides part of the understanding about who you are.

Yoga teaches that our whole being contains layers of wisdom. Yogic texts talk about the five sheaths of the body, the Pancha Maya Koshas: annamayakosha (physical body), pranamayakosha (energetic body), manamayakosha (mental body), vijnanamayakosha (wisdom body), and anadamayakosha (joy body). The anandamayakosha is considered the closest body to the true self, but each layer plays a role in understanding who you are.

To embark on this journey of deeper self knowing you may consider beginning a 40-day practice of meditation, restorative yoga, or yoga nidra and pair it with journaling in response to the reflection question: “Who am I?” These practices return you to the wisdom that is already inside of you!