You are not your thoughts

Unless you have had some sort of spiritual awakening or a deep realization of your true nature, you probably believe that you are your thoughts. You believe that you are the thinker and that your thoughts are the essence of you. “I am this or I am not that,” your mind will tell you.

It can be quite a shock to recognize that it’s simply not true.

If you are your thoughts how is it possible for you to observe what you’re thinking? You must be something more, some sort of aware or conscious being that can witness your thoughts, ideas and imaginations.

If you’ll take time and slow down, you’ll be able to watch thinking taking place. At first, you may only be able to recognize that you had thoughts after the fact. It may take some practice, but at some point, you’ll be able to watch yourself thinking.

The core essence of what you are is conscious awareness, an observer of your thought. You are the context in which thinking takes place. You are not your thoughts, feelings, emotions, or moods. All of these aspects of your being are rising within the space of conscious awareness.

Realizing you are not your thoughts is a life-changing discovery. The ramifications are enormous.

“To realize that you are not your thoughts is when you begin to awaken spiritually.” -Eckhart Tolle

One exercise you can try is to say to yourself, “I just had the thought that . . .” and name a thought you just observed.

The best way to watch your thinking self is to practice meditation. And no, you don’t have to sit in a lotus position for hours. It only takes few minutes of practice to begin to observe your thoughts.

Find a comfortable place to sit. Place your hands on your lap and begin to relax and slow down. You can intentionally slow down your breathing and that will also help you get quiet. As you sit try to observe what arises in your mind. It won’t take very long and you’ll probably start thinking about something happening in your life. You’ll get caught up in a train of thought and not realize it for a bit. Then you’ll catch yourself and the idea is to just get;y return to your breath.