This guided meditation practice is often known as neti neti,
Loosely translated to mean not this,
Not that.
It's a practice of coming in touch with your essential self,
The I that exists beyond all your other roles and identities.
So I will guide you through this practice,
Taking around 10 minutes or so to set yourself up,
Find a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down.
It's fine to be in a chair or to use whatever supports you have around you to be comfortable.
Once you're settled,
Allow your eyes to rest closed.
Take a moment or two to check in with your physical body,
Making any wriggles and adjustments that you might need and taking a moment or two to feel into your breath as well.
The breath that connects us to the subtler aspects of our being.
We'll begin the formal practice by identifying all of your I am statements.
It's a little bit like your personal resume.
You can note to yourself,
I am this name.
I am this age.
I have this address.
I am whatever roles you play,
A parent,
A partner,
A profession,
A job.
You can identify your political identities,
Your gender identities,
Your personal I am statements.
By now your mind may be full of this personal resume of roles and identities.
We'll begin to strip away those roles and identities.
And as we do ask yourself,
If I am not this identity,
Do I still exist?
If I had a different name,
Would I still exist?
If I lived somewhere else,
Would I still exist?
If I was not this role or that role,
This identity or that identity,
Would I still exist?
Take a little time here to move backwards through your personal resume,
Seeing if you,
The I,
Still exist.
Now bringing your awareness to your heart center,
The center of your physical chest,
Which the Yogis of old identified as the seat of your Ahamkara,
Your I am sense,
Starting to cultivate your breath as if you were breathing in and out of that heart space.
And along with the breath,
Beginning to add a mantra.
So hum breathing into the heart space.
So breathing out of the heart space,
Hum mentally repeating this to yourself.
And it's okay if the words and the breath switch around hum.
So also hum,
Let it be.
However,
It is for you breathing in and out of your heart space.
The meaning of the mantra is I am that.
So as you breathe and repeat hum.
So I am that I am that the mantra and the breath repeat.
So so so so if your mind wanders,
Gently guide yourself back to the hum.
So mantra at your heart center.
So so so you may wish to bring your hands to your heart,
One or both hands.
As you feel into this heart space,
The Ahamkara,
The I am center,
Acknowledging all of those roles and identities and offering some kindness,
Some acceptance to all the parts of yourself as you witness your own sense of I am the essential self beginning now to feel the ground beneath you or the seat that supports you,
Connecting with where your body meets the firm surfaces.
You can begin to take some deeper,
More intentional breaths and allow whatever movement you feel like.
Some wriggling,
Some stretching,
Gently opening your eyes,
Bringing awareness to the space that you're in and checking in with how you're feeling at the end of your meditation practice,
Knowing that you can rebuild that sense of identity,
Or you can leave some of those roles,
Labels and identities behind as the Yogis of old taught us that this essential I is our Atman that connects us to the cosmic I,
The sense of being one universal being.
Of course,
In your daily life,
Those roles and identities may be needed.
So take or leave whatever works for you as we complete our practice of neti neti.
