The One Who Sees — A Poem On Asmitā

Who are you when the voices grow quiet and the labels begin to fall away?

Inspired by Asmitā, the second of the five Kleshas in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, this reflective poem is an invitation to pause, breathe, and remember the deeper awareness that exists beneath every role, thought, and identity.

Written as a gentle meditation in verse, these words encourage you to step beyond the stories you have inherited about yourself and reconnect with the silent presence that has been with you through every chapter of your life.

Whether you listen after the accompanying talk, following the Yoga Nidra practice, or as a quiet moment of reflection on its own, may this poem leave you with a sense of spaciousness, self-compassion, and the freedom that comes from remembering you are more than the roles you play.

Transcript

The poem on Asmita. The poem is titled The One Who Sees. I believed the voice because it spoke in my name. I believe the story. Because I had repeated it for so long. I believed the Dhol because the world reflected it back to me. I am this. I am that. And every time I said it. I became smaller. Define CONTAINED held in place. Until something blow. Not outside but within the seeing. A quiet question are those. Who is this I? That I keep protecting. And in that moment. The voice was just sound. The Story. Just Memory. The Dole Just movement. And I. . . Was none of it. I was the one who had been watching all along. Unmute. Unchanged Unbound. And suddenly there was nothing to defend. Nothing to become, Nothing to hold together. Only this. Awareness seeing for thee. Thank you for listening. Namaste.