.....voice inside my head

Yogis,
The alarm goes off. Its dark outside and I am buried under my covers, snug and warm. “You could skip today. You probably didn’t get enough sleep and you could go for a walk later. It’s cold out there” says my inner voice in a convincing tone.  I take a deep breath, push the covers off and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. A few minutes later I am in my running clothes and out the door.

I have been observing the voice inside lately. You know the one I mean? The chatter in the head that speaks to you from the moment you wake until you drift off into dreamland. The one that has a comment or judgment on absolutely everything. And if you awaken in the middle of the night, well that’s when it has the most to say.

I am realizing that it gives me pretty much the same advice almost every morning. Never does the alarm go off and it yell, “Yay, it’s morning! Jump up and get out there and run!”  It’s as if it would like to derail me from my intentions. Why is that?

I’m sure the voice sounds slightly different in each of us. Probably varying accents, tones of voice and favorite topics. For some it loves to harp on doubt, for others its favorite pastime is guilt. It loves resentment and can speak endlessly on the subject of worry. And it is overjoyed to have you as its captive audience.

I have been watching as I come up with new ideas for workshops……”no one will want to come to that”……or contemplate writing a book……’that will be overwhelming and too much work.” Even simple things like when it is time to clean out a closet…….”you should wait until tomorrow.” Finally sitting down on the couch to rest……”you’re wasting time.” It clearly doesn’t like us to make changes, step forward or move outside of our comfort zone.

It is the mind’s job to protect us, but if we allow it to hold the reins we are like the child with a hovering parent. The one who isn’t allowed to do anything for fear it may get hurt. Stuck. Stagnant. Unable to move forward in our life’s purpose.

When, however, you become very quiet and still you can begin to hear another much softer voice. The one speaking from your soul. This voice knows you are always safe, perfect and quite capable of achieving anything you choose to pursue.  It moves forward with you.

The path to detaching from the boisterous mental chatter and tuning in to ‘you’ is meditation. An ancient practice that over time helps you step back and observe, and even smile at, the unrequested advice given by the mind. Tuning your frequency into the whisper of the deeper, often buried voice that wants you to be happy and free.

As I am running back up the street toward the house the sun is beginning to lighten the sky. An owl flies over head. My heart is beating in my chest and my breath chilled by the air. I feel awake and alive……and thankful yet again that I didn’t listen to the chatter.

What does your voice tell you? Notice.

Watching the noise,
SARAH