You Are More Than Your Labels

Have you ever caught yourself saying "that's just not me" and wondered where that thought actually came from?

Most of the stories we carry about who we are were formed long ago. And without realising it, we start living inside them like they're permanent.

This meditation creates a little space around that. A chance to pause, breathe, and hold your self-image a little more lightly.

Music from Uppbeat, dan-phillipson/never-be-forgotten
License code: CRVW1VG3NKGTZF5G

Music from Uppbeat, ambient-boy/suspended-worlds
License code: B670DNHTPZ19MBJG

Transcript

Most of us carry a quiet story about who we are, I am shy, I am not creative, That's just not me. These labels feel like self-knowledge but often they are old decisions we made years ago and never questioned since. The problem isn't having a sense of self, It's when that sense becomes so fixed that it stops us from growing, Trying or feeling freely. We start protecting an idea of ourselves instead of living as we actually are. This meditation invites you to loosen that grip, Not by tearing down who you are but by remembering that you are wider and more alive than any label. You don't need to define yourself to be yourself. That's what we are exploring here. Find a comfortable position, Sit or lie down, Let your body become heavy, Gently close your eyes, Take a slow breath in through your nose and let it go, In and out, Again breathing in and release, Let your breath return to its own natural rhythm, You don't need to control it, Bring your attention to where your body meets the surface beneath you, The head of your back, Your hips, Your hands, Feel that contact, Let yourself be held, Notice any tension you've been carrying, You don't need to fix it, Just let it be seen, Take one more slow breath in and as you exhale let your body soften just a little more, Now gently bring your attention to your thoughts, Don't try to change them, Just notice that they are there, Moving through you, One after another, After a little while you may notice that some of these thoughts are about you, Simple sentences, Things like I am not good at this, This is just who I am, When one of these thoughts appears don't fight it, Don't believe it immediately either, Just notice it and then gently ask yourself is it you right now, In this moment, Let the question stay open, You don't need an answer, Just let the question breathe, Imagine a wide open sky, Clouds pass through it, Some small and light, Some heavy and dark, They come and go, The sky doesn't hold onto them, It doesn't become the clouds, It simply makes room, You are like that sky, Your thoughts, Your moods, Your ideas about who you are, These are the clouds, They pass through you, But you are not any one of them, You are the space in which they appear, If a thought comes, This is me, This is who I am, Just notice it, Watch it appear and watch it pass, Return to the breath, In and out, Now notice how your experience keeps changing, Even right now, A sensation rises and fades, A thought appears and disappears, The breath comes and goes, Nothing is fixed, Everything is moving, And you, The one who is aware of all this, You are here through all of it, Constant, Quiet, Watching, Letting yourself rest in that awareness for a few moments, No need to define anything, No need to decide who you are or who you should be, Just be here, Aware, Present, Slowly begin to bring your awareness back to the room around you, Feel the ground beneath you again, Notice any sounds, Notice the air on your skin, Take a deeper breath in and let it go slowly, When you are ready, Gently open your eyes, Take a moment before you move and carry this with you as you go back into your day, You are not one fixed thing, You are something far more alive than that, You don't need to define yourself to be yourself. Thank you.