Ego and Soul

If you fall I will catch you. I will be waiting. Time after time.
~~Cyndi Lauper

The leaves are beginning to change. Already. And I have a summer cold.

One is asking me to move forward, to do something. The other is forcing me to slow down, be still. 

Changes of season can be challenging. New allergens in the air cause the respiratory system to adjust accordingly. Sometimes our systems balk at and try to resist this call to change. Our bodies attempt to rebelliously override the external change. 

Likewise, when our bodies ask us to slow down and take notice of an inflammation, an ache or a nose that runs like a leaky faucet,  I/we often want to ignore this invitation with things that mask the symptoms, like lozenges or drugs. We can be feisty, we humans.

What if we paid attention to both and allowed movement and stillness to happen together?

How could that possibly work?

Our ego is the part of us that wants to prove something. “We got this!” “We’re better than the other guy.” “We’re special.” Our souls are our eternal guides, our protector, our connection to our divinity.

Both of these guys are part of us. The ego keeps us alive here on this 3D Planet of density and danger and drama. It pushes us forward through the muck, reminds us to duck under a big wave and notices and is sometimes drawn into the storms of life as the drama reinforces the ego’s hold on this reality. I loved Wayne Dyer's acronym for the ego. It was Edging God Out.

The soul, however, is the true captain of our ship. The soul was there before we were born into this world and will still be when we leave this body. The soul wants us to succeed but not always in the same way the ego wants to get things done. The soul knows the big picture and steers us toward our highest good always. 

Why then don’t we always listen to our soul's calling?

We don’t listen because often we cannot hear the voice of our soul over the loud voice of the ego. The ego is that annoying guy at the bar who has had one too many. He wants to be heard and, dammit he will, even if he offends everyone in the place.

The soul is more soft and quiet. The soul works in kairos rather than chronos time and sees no need to rush. The soul will wait until the ego quiets down, often after deep disappointment, humiliation or perceived defeat.

We can practice movement and stillness together on the yoga mat. As we move our bodies we can slow down our breath and listen, letting go of the need to perfect any pose and really listening to what the body wants. (Maybe it’s to slow down and be still in child’s pose.) We can move and we can listen for that still small voice of the soul. When we do this we unite the soul and ego. The ego can relax it’s hold and feel secure in the knowledge that soul has the wheel. The ship will be safely steered to harbor. 

Waves will undoubtedly rock us but we need not fear. This is union. This is yoga.

What if I/we allowed the ego to rest in the soul and let the soul steer our course from here on in? How would it change things if the ego only moved in service of the soul?

Good questions to ask as we move through the seasons of life. Good questions to ask when we have a late summer cold. 

Achoo! 

Bless you!

Connie

XO🙏

Connie Bowman is an actress, voiceover talent, yogi, podcast host, and author of Back to Happy, a Journey of Hope, Healing and Waking Up, available on Amazon and other book retailers. For more information about Connie visit www.conniebowman.com.