“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
By Raquel Issenberg
Who Am I?
Yoga reconnects us with the unchangeable Self within. As we progress in our practice, our intuition begins to easily unveil the purpose of our actions and trace it back to our essence, which is the mystery that lies behind all thoughts.
The more we find physical and emotional support on the mat and in our mental awareness, the closer we weave into the subtleties of self-inquiry.
It’s only natural to be inclined to engage in purposeful self-reflection once the mind has started to settle as we cultivate healthy breathing in our postures. And the longing for growth not only subscribes to physical yoga but also to embracing the possibility of joy as we move through life.
By means of a yogic standpoint, the breath is the reflection of ourselves, and as we start noticing class after class our inhalations and exhalations, we increase an inner sense of “I”.
“Who Am I” is the ultimate inquiry in the Vedic tradition, more specifically Vedanta philosophy, and Jnana Yoga, the yoga of knowledge. In modern times, the ancient practice of vichara (“discernment/self-inquiry”, in Sanskrit) was promoted in the West through the teachings of the sage Ramana Maharshi.
As a yogic tool, vichara’s main purpose is the use of self-knowledge to find peace within.
But philosophical knowledge is so vast that we can go about lifting mind veils with simpler questions so that we become attuned to ourselves and, subsequently, ease into a deeper practice.
As the opening quote to this article states, a thought can affect actions into “destiny”. How many times haven’t we felt trapped in a wheel of habits thinking that we might spend the rest of our lives making the same mistake over and over? Yet, it is possible to jump out of that wheel with self-knowledge and clear intention.
If we set aside the review of our thoughts, and instead begin to self-inquire using a thicker “sheat” as the physical body, we might feel more comfortable peeling off layers, rather than trying to tap directly into the insights of our soul.
Let’s explore three forms of self-discernment (with specific examples as guidelines) that can help us with everyday situations into a more revealing inner awareness.
Before we start, we must remember to be kind to ourselves at all times. Inquire with detachment. There’s nothing to “fix” or to be shameful about. We observe the patterns we want to let go of to create new patterns that serve us better.
*Preferably, follow the questions from top to bottom if you do them all, or pick just the ones you think you need feedback from, consecutively; answer always in the “now”.
☉ SELF-INQUIRY #1 | For daily life self-reflection
—Based on a standard behavioral path.
⫸ BODY
• How is my breathing?
• What are my body sensations? (comfort, itchiness, pain, etc.)
• How is the state of my body? (relaxed, tired, strong, etc.)
• Do I feel hungry, thirsty, satisfied or I don’t know right now?
⫸ THOUGHT
• Do I have positive, negative, or neutral thoughts?
• Am I grasping to my own version of the truth?
• Are my thoughts coming from awareness? (a range in between ego and soul, preconditioned and neutral, attachment and detachment)
• Am I over thinking or bypassing worthy analysis?
⫸ EMOTION *If you don’t relate with labeling, just notice sensations.
• Do I feel uncomfortable, irritated, or angry?
• Do I feel happy, in ecstasy, or detached from reality?
• Do I feel grounded or stuck?
• Do I feel free or dispersed?
⫸ WORD
• Are my words timely, kind, and true?
• Is it my role to speak in this situation?
• Is it my role to remain silent in this situation?
•. Am I being effective in my speech?
⫸ ACTION
• Am I engaging in a behavior, needed or not, to foster inner peace?
• Am I trying new habits and keeping the ones that help?
• Are my actions potentially harmful to myself or others?
• Am I engaging with life mindfully?
☉ SELF-INQUIRY #2 | For daily life and spiritual self-reflection
—Based on the Pancha Kosha model (The Five Layers) of existence, originally exposed in the Taittiriya Upanishad.
⫸ FOOD/BODY LAYER—Annamaya Kosha
• How is my relationship with food? (generally balanced, over or undereating, well or undernourished)
• How is my physical health? (generally balanced, over or under-exercising, following a treatment or with chronic afflictions)
⫸ VITAL ENERGY/BREATH LAYER—Pranamaya Kosha
• How is my relationship with my breath? (am I aware of my breathing, am I fostering healthy breath when possible)
• How is my energy in terms of life motivation?
⫸ MIND LAYER—Manomaya Kosha
• How am I thinking? (flow of thoughts: overly or mindfully thinking)
• How am I perceiving? (how is my mind filtering thoughts into emotions)
⫸ INTELLECT/DISCERNMENT LAYER—Vijñanamaya Kosha
• How am I distinguishing and evaluating? (am I frequently discerning from biased perspective, do I make efforts towards a neutral approach, do I bring compassion while discerning)
• How is my spiritual growth? (am I procuring non-violence in my thought, speech and action, am I taking steps in helping myself and others if needed, am I self-compassionate and self-forgiving)
⫸ BLISS/SELF-REALIZATION LAYER—Anandamaya Kosha
• Who am I? (you are not your roles, your family name, your body and mind)
• What is my life purpose (s)? (the role or roles you play in this world to offer your work)
☉ SELF-INQUIRY #3 | Spiritual-self reflection
—From The Chopra Center’s Primordial Sound Meditation, inspired by Ramana Maharshi’s teachings.
*Each of the following inquiries comes with specific instructions to get into it during meditation practice.
⫸ Who am I?
• You are not a role, image, feeling, or experience.
• Shift your awareness to the sense of being and rest in existence. Just be.
⫸ What do I want?
• Whatever is it that you want is an experience but don’t force it, allow the thought to come to you.
• Allow any sensation, image, feeling, or thought to come to you.
⫸ What is my purpose?
• Allow any sensation, image, feeling, or thought to come to you.
⫸ What am I grateful for?
• Allow any sensation, image, feeling, or thought to come to you.
By practicing any self-inquiry with compassion, and curiosity over judgment, we can transform our lives one step at a time, one breath at a time.
“Go little rockstar”.
◢ Sources:
Book “Who Am I” by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
Book “Vedantic Meditation, Lighting the Flame of Awareness” by David Frawley
American Institute of Vedic Studies’s article “Self Inquiry and Its Practice” by David Frawley
“Who am I?
Not the body, because it is decaying; not the mind, because the brain will decay with the body; not the personality, nor the emotions, for these also will vanish with death.”— Ramana Maharshi
