You Are Not This Body
Most identities are defined as affirmations. This is not.
In Sanskrit, SUTRA literally translates to thread; in practice, it's an aphorism. This SUTRA series unravels the profound depth found in simple, concise statements that weave spiritual wisdom with modern-day applications.
Identity is hard to pin down. It feels like more of an issue now (I suspect it always has been) with so much corporate, legal, and cultural focus on accommodating everyone regardless of their identity, but the spiritual model for identity is radically different than how most people think of identity.
One great thing that identity serves to do is bring a sense of safety, solace, and comfort to us. One phrase that I've been meditating on lately is this:
"You are not this body."
As I've written in my post explaining identity from a spiritual lens, most identities are defined as affirmations: I am <insert label here>. The great thing about this phrase is that it's a definition by negation. Rather than telling you that you're something you can't see or touch or have never experienced, it shifts your focus to what you already know: your body.
Most of the time, we rarely identify with our physical body. Rather, we'll identify with something outside the body: our political/social/tribal affiliations, our family and friends, and our activities. This is the lowest level of identity in the identity pyramid I've written about. Bringing your awareness back to your physical body when you find yourself caught up in everything life throws at you is a great technique to calm yourself down and be centered because it allows you to raise your consciousness.
Once this steady calm has been reached, I've found it helpful to repeat this affirmation over and over again: I am not this body. I am not this body. I am not this body. This affirmation helps me at least intellectually understand that I shouldn't identify with my physical body, my likes or dislikes, the responsibilities I have, or the problems that come with them. My thoughts and feelings come and go, but here I am: just a soul.
Of course, I am NOWHERE NEAR identifying with the soul. This is merely a technique I use to center myself whenever I'm going through shit (which is most of the time) or before I sit down to meditate.
