That Depends
One of the first lessons I remember learning when I began a regular meditation practice (16 years ago-whoa!) was the idea that we are not our thoughts, rather we have thoughts. Our thoughts are a function of our minds. Our minds too are something that we have, rather than who/what we really are. Just as we all have butts, none of us would ever say we are our butts. That would be asinine (pun intended). To see things as they really are, and see ourselves as we really are, we need to first stop identifying with things that we aren’t.
If you lost your hair, would you still be you? Yeah, duh. If you lost your arm would you still be you? You get where this is going, but where does it end? Would you be you if you lost your face? Yeah, I think you would be. Would you still be you if you lost your life? I couldn’t say with any certainty, but I suspect the answer is yes (though that’s a subject for another day). Would you still be you if you lost your mind? I guess that depends on what you mean by you.
Saturday March 19th is my birthday and to celebrate I’m hosting a special live Yoga for Punks class! You can join us via zoom, or if you happen to be in DFW you’re welcome to come by my home studio in person. All levels all welcome, class is $10 and begins at 10:30 am central. Check it out!