Why connection to the ‘higher’ self matters
Throughout your day, do you go from task to task? Are you on the go, doing and thinking from the moment you wake until the moment you go to sleep?
During this time do you stop and take a moment to notice how you feel? Or do you notice when you are forced to stop by illness?
It’s super common to be busy in this modern life, to not notice the subtle messages that our body sends through sensation, intuition, emotions and feeling. The pressure to be striving for success, climbing the ladder, having it all, being the best parent/employee/family member/friend while berating ourselves for not being good enough has become the norm of society.
Within this pressure cooker it’s easy to lose ourselves. We become indoctrinated into believing that the measures of success (material things, wealth, being in a relationship, having a family, having a top job etc.) are measures of our worth.
As you read through this, what thoughts or feelings come up? Do you recognise yourself here?
Have you stopped for a moment to consider whether the mountain you are climbing is really your mountain to climb? Or is it someone else’s or societies?
We have all sorts of expectations placed upon us, some are self imposed and some are from somewhere else.
What expectations do you have?
Where did they come from?
How do they feel?
If you notice a feeling of overwhelm, anxiety, anger, resentment, sadness, grief, heaviness, procrastination or dread around the expectations you’ve identified, well done! You’ve noticed where you are out of alignment with your ‘self’. And now you can work out how to realign.
Why is this important? And what is the higher self?
Ok, well think of your self like this. You have a body, right? (rhetorical question), so your physical (gross) body is one layer of yourself. In yoga we work with other more subtle layers of the body. According to The Taittiriya Upanishad, there are several layers (also known as the 5 Koshas, or ways of being).
1/ The physical layer (sheath) is created from the food we eat.
2/ Within this is the vital layer, which contains our Prana or life force energy and universal energies such as wind, space and earth. “The vital sheath is made of living breath.” (3.1)
3 & 4/ Within this is the mental sheath which is “made up of waves of thought, there is contained the sheath of wisdom.” (4.1)
5/ Within this sheath is contained the sheath of bliss. This is connected to universe (source/God, something greater). My interpretation is that this is referring to The Self.
“The Self in man and in the sun are one. Those who understand this see through the world and go beyond the various sheaths of being to realise the unity of life.” (8.1)
When we are connected to these different layers through awareness of our feelings, emotions, thoughts we can reach our core self, which is where our infinite wisdom is, accessible by listening to the subtle inner guidance, or intuition that permeates through all the layers of the body.
All the layers make up who we are - all the different aspects of ourselves. From the way we feel and interact with the world to the way we feel and interact within.
As we can see, according to the ancient sages who dedicated their lives to observation and meditation, they noted the intricacies of the human being. They realised that at our core is bliss, or as I’m interpreting it, the higher self. The part of ourselves that is connected to universal wisdom and love.
This part of ourselves is the part that guides us towards our dharma (personal pathway) and that offers unconditional love and compassion. When we listen to this wisdom we find the path of purpose, we can find a deep unwavering feeling of connection within and so allows us to navigate life with all its twists and turns with clarity, a strong sense of who we are and within that feel self secure.
In no way am I suggesting this as a spiritual bypass to dealing with all the things that you are dealing with. It is essential to find a way of addressing traumas, beliefs and such that helps you process these that are suitable to your needs.
Practice:
If you are in a place where you are able to self regulate your thoughts and emotions, you could try this practice to help you tap into the inner wisdom of your higher self.
Every day take a moment between your tasks and ask yourself “how do I feel right now?
You might notice something like a thought, or a feeling, or a sensation in your body, maybe a gut feeling about something.
Think of this as a gateway into learning to read the subtle messages from your higher self and remember that this is a practice. It might take a while to notice the subtle messages as they can be very subtle. But each time you pause and ask that question you are becoming more tuned in with yourself, what you need, what you desire, what you are drawn to or against.
Another practice to help you maintain this connection is through journaling. Writing down your thoughts and feelings, perhaps responses to the question of how you feel in the moment can help you make sense or find clarity. You might even notice a pattern of recurrent thoughts and feelings which can help you see what is or isn’t aligned with your purpose or self. You’ll know because it will either have a sense of feeling light, joyful, peaceful or just right if it is, and if it isn’t you might notice resistance, a feeling of dread etc. if it isn’t.
Give yourself grace and compassion around whatever comes up, there’s no right or wrong way to feel, let yourself observe without getting attached if that is possible. The more you can ‘sit with’ what comes up the more you will be able to become more familiar with these feelings and notice the messages from the innate wisdom of your body and intuition guiding you towards what is best for you.
You may even realise that you could do with some support as you uncover aspects of yourself you didn’t know about or want support in understanding how you can align certain parts of your life - listen to this nudge and seek the support you need. Therapies such as counselling can be extremely helpful. Or if you’re not sure about counselling or you want to look at changing aspects of your life, perhaps coaching would be another place to seek support.
All of this awareness helps you build a trust within yourself and to eventually be able to listen to that inner knowing, making choices based around it and find your way along your path.
