Soul & the Self

Now and again, I often think about this - the soul and the self. The connection. Is it the same or is it different? I've been doing some reading (currently reading The Journey of Souls by Michael Newton) and a very interesting book on Self & the ego, that was recommended by a dear friend Love your Ego by Peter Marchand.

One of my earlier accidental discoveries with this concept was with this phrase:
I am not the Body; I am not even the Mind. I meditated with this for a bit. The statement implies that one is separate from their physical body and their mental processes — the self is distinct from the body and mind, and that the true self is something eternal and unchanging.

When I was doing my Yoga Teacher Training, I read the easiest translation of the Bhagvad Gita you can find (by Stephen Mitchell) and there is an image from the epic that stuck to my mind. I was quite fascinated that this simple image can have a deeper meaning behind it.

In the Bhagavad Gita, the chariot is a metaphor for the human body and the charioteer represents the individual soul or Atman. The reins of the chariot represent the senses, and the horses represent the sense objects. One of the meanings of the metaphor is used to illustrate how one should maintain control over the senses. The metaphor also serves to convey the idea that the body is a vehicle for the soul's journey through life, and that the soul can use the body to progress on the path of spiritual growth.
Arjuna, the main character of Bhagavad Gita, is addressed as the driver of the chariot and Lord Krishna as the charioteer. With the chariot as a metaphor, Lord Krishna advise Arjuna how to overcome his moral and ethical dilemma of fight for righteous war.

This is one of the concepts extrapolated to Yoga and working with the mind and the breath - through asanas or even through meditation. Fascniating, isn't it? How such a simple symbol can draw the connection between the Self and the Soul. This topic is quite heavy to cover in one post. What are your thoughts - please drop a comment below :)  I want to leave you with a meditation inspired from I am not the Body, I am not the Mind. Hope you enjoy it.

Love & Light ~ Suchi 💕 ✨