Coming Home To Yourself: Beyond The Labels

Are you exhausted from being everything to everyone except yourself? This transformative meditation guides you back to your authentic essence - who you are when nobody's watching and nobody's expecting anything.

You'll explore the costumes and masks you wear daily, gently setting them down to reconnect with your true self. Through somatic awareness and heart-centered inquiry, you'll discover what you truly want versus what you think you "should" want.

Perfect for anyone feeling lost in their roles, struggling with people-pleasing, or ready to stop living others' expectations. This practice offers profound permission to be authentically, imperfectly, beautifully human.

Benefits: Release the weight of others' expectations. Reconnect with authentic essence. Transform roles from prisons to tools for expression. Find freedom from perfectionism. Reclaim personal power and choice.

Transcript

So hi everyone and thank you for joining me.

So today we are going to go on a journey that might change how you see yourself.

Have you ever had that strange moment when you catch yourself in the mirror and think who is this person?

Not because you don't recognize your face but you don't recognize the life that you're living.

You may be that successful professional,

The good son,

The good daughter,

The perfect mother,

The helpful friend,

The victim,

The spiritual person,

The responsible one and somewhere in the middle of all these roles you've lost track of who you actually are.

We live in a world of labels.

Check your phone right now.

How many different versions of yourself do you present?

The LinkedIn professional,

The Instagram storyteller,

Maybe the WhatsApp family member,

The work colleague or the friend group version of you.

Each one slightly different,

Each one carefully curated and in all of them not quite the whole truth.

And then there are the labels that others may have given you.

You are the smart one,

You are the creative one,

You are the one who has it all together,

You are the one who always helps and these labels become invisible cages at times.

You start living to fulfill them even when they feel suffocating,

They feel like pressure.

Now I work with people who are exhausted from being everything to everyone except themselves.

Parents who deeply love their children but have forgotten who they were before they became mom or dad.

Spiritual seekers who have become so focused on healing and being enlightened that they've forgotten how to be human.

And successful business people,

Entrepreneurs who've built businesses they don't even like.

Now in my experience here's what I've learnt.

You may not be your job title,

You are not your relationship status,

You are not your bank account,

Your social media following,

Your role in the family or even your spiritual achievements.

Now these are all costumes that you wear but they are not you.

So who are you really?

Beneath all the expectations,

All the labels and all the roles that we all play,

Who is the person that exists when nobody is watching and nobody is expecting anything from you?

We'll try and find that out today.

Find the most comfortable position.

This is sacred work that we are doing.

So honour yourself by creating a space where you feel completely safe to explore.

If you need to put your phone on silent,

Please do that now.

If you need to let people know you're unavailable,

You may want to do that.

This journey requires your whole presence and not the version of you that's thinking about your to-do list or worrying about what others might think.

So as you have that space now for yourself,

Let's begin just simply by taking deep breaths together and we're not trying to breathe correctly,

Just breathe.

Breathe in like you're drawing in space and exhale releasing the weight of everyone else's expectations.

Breathe in the space to be yourself and exhale releasing the weight of everyone else's expectations.

Breathing in permission to be authentic and breathing out the need to perform.

And one more time,

Breathing in your own life force energy and breathing out into this moment where you don't have to be anything other than who you are.

Now if you haven't done so already,

At this stage if you feel comfortable,

You may want to close your eyes.

Now we are going to use just a little bit of visualization and whatever shows up for you is exactly what you need today.

There is no right or wrong way to do this,

Simply closing your eyes and receiving my words and see and witness the experience that you have.

Now I want you to imagine that you are standing at the edge of a beautiful vast landscape and this isn't a place you need to get to.

This is where you already are when you stop running towards the next achievement,

The next relationship,

The next spiritual breakthrough,

Maybe the next moment where you think you'll finally arrive.

You're in this landscape now,

Feel your feet on the ground,

Feel your feet on the ground.

The earth has been here long before your career existed,

Long before social media was invented and long before people started to tell you who you should be.

Feeling your feet on the ground,

You belong here exactly as you are.

You belong here exactly as you are.

Now look around this inner landscape,

Notice that scattered everywhere are costumes,

Beautiful costumes that represent all the roles that you play.

There is the professional outfit,

The parent costume,

The friend mask,

The spiritual seekers robes and the pleaser's uniform,

Maybe the rebel's jacket,

All the different versions of yourself that you wear throughout the day are there and these costumes aren't bad.

They've served you,

They've helped you navigate the world,

Connect with others,

Survive and even thrive in many ways.

But today we are going to practice something radical.

You're going to remember who you are when you're not wearing any of them.

Now being completely open,

I want you to call upon the wisest,

Most loving presence that you can imagine.

You can call this your higher self,

The wise part of your soul,

The spiritual guide or simply the loving intelligence of the universe.

Don't worry about getting this right,

Just invite in whatever feels supportive and loving.

Ask this presence to be with you as you explore your authentic self.

You are not doing this work alone.

Now here is what we are going to do.

We are going to have a conversation with the part of you that exists beyond all labels.

The part of you that was there when you were five years old,

When nobody had told you yet who you were supposed to be.

The part of you will still be there when all external circumstances of your life have changed.

Start by gently setting down the costume you wear most often.

Maybe it's the professional you,

The one who always has to have it together,

The one who carries the weight of responsibility,

Who's afraid to make mistakes.

Just for a moment set that down like you're taking a heavy coat off and also notice how your body responds to this intention.

I am simply setting down the costume I wear most often and I'm now noticing this in my body.

What does it feel to not have any answers or solutions right now?

Now as we peel the layers,

Set down the people pleaser costume,

The one who says yes and you mean no,

Who worries about disappointing others,

Who shapes themselves to fit what others need.

Set down the weight of everyone else's happiness.

What does it feel like to not be responsible for how anyone else feels about you right now?

Now set down the perfectionist outfit,

The one who's never quite good enough,

Who's always improving,

Always working on themselves,

Always just one step away from being worthy.

Set down this exhausting pursuit of flawlessness.

Feeling this layer,

This costume come off in your vision,

In your body,

In your mind.

What does it feel like to be perfectly acceptable exactly as you are in this moment?

Now set down the spiritual costume.

Yes,

Even that one.

The one who has to be peaceful,

Evolved,

Kind,

Grateful and positive.

The one who's not allowed to be human,

Messy or get angry.

Just set down this pressure now to be enlightened.

What does it feel like to be sacred exactly as you are,

With all your contradictions and questions of being in the world?

Now for the next few seconds,

Keep setting down whatever costumes you wear in your journey that come to mind.

It can be anything,

Maybe the strong one who doesn't show his weakness,

Maybe the successful one who can't admit struggle,

Maybe the happy one who can't acknowledge sadness,

Maybe the independent one who never asks for help.

Just see what shows up for you and just keep putting them down.

Now standing here without all these costumes,

Notice who's still there.

There is a presence,

A sense of being that doesn't depend upon any achievement,

Any role or any external validation.

Now this is your authentic self.

It's not a concept,

It's not an idea,

But a felt sense of your own extended nature.

Now please put your hands on your heart and feel the steady rhythm there.

The heart has been beating since before you knew your name,

Before you learned what you were supposed to be.

It knows something that your mind may have forgotten.

Now simply receive my words or you can silently repeat it.

Who am I when I'm not trying to be anyone?

Who am I when I'm not trying to be anyone?

Who am I when I'm not trying to be anyone?

Don't think your way to the answer,

Feel your way.

What quality is present when you're not performing?

Maybe it's a sense of aliveness,

Creativity,

Love,

Playfulness,

Wisdom,

Strength or gentleness.

Just trust what emerges for you.

Now expand your awareness to your whole body.

This body that's carried you throughout every experience,

Every joy and every challenge.

It has its own wisdom and its own knowing.

Ask your body now,

What do I actually want?

What do I actually want?

What do I actually want?

Not what you should want,

Not what would look good on social media and not what will make your family proud.

What does your body,

Your energy and your life force actually want?

Maybe it wants more stillness,

Maybe it wants more adventure,

Maybe it wants creative expression,

Maybe it wants deep conversations and connection,

Maybe it wants solitude,

Maybe it wants to dance,

To rest,

To explore or just be.

Trust what comes up even if it surprises you.

Now from this place of authentic knowing,

Look back at all those costumes you've sat down.

You can see how some of them actually fit who you really are right now and some of them never did.

The professional costume might be a way for you to express your natural gifts and service or you might also realize that you've been in the wrong job for years trying to fit into someone else's idea of success.

The relationship roles might be genuine expressions of love and care or you might see how you've been abandoning yourself trying to be who others need you to be.

The spiritual practices might align with your soul's natural longing for connection and growth or you might realize you've just been spiritually performing,

Trying to transcend your humanity instead of embracing it.

Now here is what I want you to understand.

You get to choose.

You get to keep the costumes that feel authentic and transform or release the ones that don't.

You get to say,

This role serves my authentic expression or this expectation isn't mine to carry.

Now imagine yourself moving through your day tomorrow from this place of authentic knowing.

What would you say yes to?

What would you say no to?

How would you move differently in the world?

What would change if you trusted that your authentic self is not only enough but exactly what the world needs from you?

See yourself at work,

Being genuinely yourself instead of the professional persona.

See yourself with family,

Loving them without losing yourself.

See yourself in relationships,

Connected but not codependent.

See yourself in spiritual practice,

Growing,

Finding your own truth but not grasping.

Now as we prepare to return to ordinary awareness,

Place your hands on your heart again and make this commitment to yourself.

I remember who I am beneath all the labels.

I choose to honor my authentic self even when it's uncomfortable for others.

I trust my inner knowing and I give myself permission to live my own life.

I remember who I am beneath all the labels.

I choose to honor my authentic self even when it's uncomfortable for others.

I trust my inner knowing and I give myself permission to live my own life.

And as you breathe now,

Feel this commitment settling into your cells,

Your energy field and your very being.

Now imagine taking one costume back with you but this time you're wearing it consciously.

You're choosing it because it allows you to express your authentic self in the world,

Not because you have to or because others expect it.

You're not rejecting roles and responsibilities.

You're transforming them from prisons into tools of authentic expression.

Now begin to feel yourself returning to the room but bringing this sense of your authentic self with you.

Wiggle your fingers and your toes.

Gently move your head from side to side.

Take a moment first to appreciate what you've done.

You've had the courage to look beneath the surface,

To question who you've been told to be and to remember who you actually are.

This is profound work.

When you're ready,

Slowly open your eyes and come back to the room but don't leave this awareness behind.

Carry it with you like a secret superpower,

The knowledge of who you really are.

The world doesn't need another version of who you think you should be.

The world needs exactly who you are in all your authentic,

Imperfect and beautiful ways.

Your job is not to be perfect.

Your job is not to make everyone happy.

Your job is not to fit in or to have it all figured out.

Your job is just to be authentic,

Honour your truth and live from your essence.

And when you do that,

When you come home to yourself,

You give everyone around you permission to do the same.

You become part of the solution in a world full of people wearing masks that they've forgotten they can take off.

Remember,

You are not your job,

Your achievements,

Your past,

Your failures,

Your future.

You're not your thoughts,

Your emotions or even your spiritual experiences.

You are the aware presence witnessing all these things.

You're the consciousness that has been there all along,

Patiently waiting for you to come home.

Thank you for taking this journey with me.

Thank you for having the courage to be authentic.

Now honouring the magnificent,

Authentic being that you are,

Namaste and thank you.