The Athenian philosopher, Socrates, summarised his teaching in to one tiny take-away; 'Know yourself!'
I have 2 teenagers. At 9pm every night, in theory, all our tech; phones and computers go on to the communal charging station in full view. Usually there is a barrage of resistance, complaints and excuses but I feel it is worth holding this space because it is so fundamentally important that we spend time with ourselves without distraction, especially before we sleep and when we wake up.
There is nothing more important for well being than self knowledge!
Self knowledge is not knowing our favourite colour, or what style if clothes suit us best... it is not the image we portray on social media... it is understanding and mastering the true nature of being human, of being ourselves!
Every single person on this planet is absolutely incredible! We are the most complex living electro-magnetic soul machines! We only use a fraction of our capacity. Self knowledge enables us to thrive and live to our fullest capacity.
So what is self knowledge and how do we get it?
Let's say;
Our heart represents all of our emotions.
Our head represents all of our thoughts.
Pause for a minute, close your eyes and notice what is going on in your mind. Before long, there will be thoughts that float by. A car passes, a tummy rumbles, a worry or desire appears and sets off a train of unconscious thought.
And the part of us that can notice these things... let's call that the 'I'.
Most of us are at the mercy of our emotions and thoughts... Usually we are not taught to observe what is happening inside us.. we simply react! We react unconsciously to our emotions and to our thoughts - they rule us! But what if we strengthened our 'I', the observer and were able to make conscious decisions about how to react?
In meditation, we observe our inner world and we learn to become masters vs mastered by our emotions and thoughts. Meditation doesn't mean you have to sit cross legged on the floor. You can do it any time and any where. Just tune in and be acutely present to what is going on inside and outside!
Yoga is a fabulous way in to developing self knowledge. Through movement and breathing we are guided to tune in to ourselves and consciously strengthen the I.
All of the La Source family holidays offer yoga and I love how so many children wake up early every day to join in. They seem to know instinctively that there is something deeper and important that they can tune in to through the practice of yoga.
