Get Still and Know

It is said that in order to see the Truth of who you are, you have to get still and quiet. That’s right, still and quiet. Like literally, stop moving. Stop running. Jumping. Lifting. Sun salutation-ing. It’s not that any of those things are inherently bad. We need to move to keep our bodies and minds healthy. But we lack the ability to embrace our stillness; to embrace the quiet and the peace that comes with this ability to get still and KNOW.

Know what, exactly? To know the Truth of who you are without your perceived achievements or failures. In each moment and in each transition, it is YOU that shows up. But how do you know who that is? We tend to believe that we are our titles, our stories, and our past. The ancient traditions teach us that the outer world is not where we will find the essence of who we truly are. It is only in the quiet and in the stillness where you meet yourself, and gain precious access into the Truth of your being.

You may have been taught that who you are is based on your accomplishments. Our society lauds productivity and constant goal-setting and we are constantly mesmerized by the world around us. Our phones are like a dopamine drip! In our distractions and avoidances, we miss the inner wisdom, the inner joy, the bright spark of the Divine that rests within us always. We try to find ways to fill what we are simply not seeing. We believe that if we work harder we will see this inner Truth revealed. It’s as if we need to push ourselves harder and harder to see our capability. I am guilty of this too; of believing that an arbitrary goal will allow me to see who I really am and what I’m made of. It’s not that goals are inherently bad, but when these goals become the only driving forces in our lives, we lose sight of our ability to know who actually wants this goal and why we want it.

Here’s what I propose: get still, get quiet, and do it every day. Remember who you are. Find stillness, even in the transitions; pause before you send the text, stop for a breath before eating a meal, before you get in the shower, or even in the middle of a run. The stillness, the quiet, is the reminder to check back in with who you already are. Remove the layers of achievements and “doing” that obscures and fragments your ability to see the light in your heart. All of the things that you like to do in the outer world (Prakriti) will still be there after you have had a chance to visit with your highest Self (Purusha). Soon enough, the desire to have time in stillness with your Truth will become stronger than the pull for the next big thing. It is in the quiet where you will KNOW and that knowing will inform everything else about how you move through the world.

In your best health and with love,

Betsy