“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.” —Lao Tzu

When you are living only from your Chattering Mind you see yourself as a solid, set self.

Your Chattering Mind has an entire story of who you think you are—a son, a daughter, a student, a soccer player, a good kid or a bad kid.

Your Chattering Mind has created an entire solid-feeling persona based on these roles. It feels so solid that when you first meet someone, after telling them your name, you quickly follow with telling them all the roles you play. The habit of thinking of yourself in this way is so strong that at first it feels strange to even question it.

However, everything about you is continually shifting and changing.

Look more closely at what you normally take to be the solid you—your body, Chattering Mind, emotions, perceptions and experiences.

Pay attention long enough and you’ll begin to see that these parts of you are all in a constant state of flux.

You are more like a living river of changing sensations, experiences, feelings and thoughts.

The reality is that nothing about you or life is static.

So let’s begin this adventure by asking, “Who am I really?” ::

Practice :: When you notice that your Inner Attention is caught up in your Chattering Mind’s stories of who you think you are, practice returning your Inner Attention to the aliveness of your Breath and Body. Notice the space that opens in your mind and practice allowing the space into your attention.

Inquire :: What happens when I allow some space into my attention and mind? What is my experience when I allow some space to open up around my stories?

For extra support, try the Body, Breath, Quiet Meditation each evening this week.