Sometimes we get distress about the physical changes our body can experience. Kate Holcombe the founder of the nonprofit Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco believes that the distress occurs when you identify with the parts of yourself that change everything from your mind to your body, appearance, or job title instead of with the quiet place within you that does not change (I like to refer to that quiet place as our pure human essence). It is when you mistakenly believe, on some level, that how you look or feel or what you do for a living has something to do with who you are and that these things define you instead of recognizing that your true self who you are at your core is unchanging.

Our external qualities inevitably influence how we see ourselves. You may identify with your gender, your sexual preference, or your ethnicity. Perhaps your perception of yourself includes that you are tall, muscular, sensible, brunette, tattooed, compassionate etc… These qualities are a big part of how you see yourself and how your loved ones and friends see you, and appreciating them is an important part of the way you engage in the world. The challenge as Kate presents it is to value all of these aspects of the Self without setting yourself for disappointment and suffering when they change.

When change comes, (specially the negative changes) as it inevitably does for any number of reasons, you may feel uncomfortable, even lost. It is important to learn the transitory aspects of the changes in our bodies as part of a ritual of being alive. If you can recognize that there is something deeper within you that is unchanging your true authentic self, and if you can connect and identify with that part of yourself, which is so much more than your appearance and achievements in the world, you are likely to be less bothered by physical changes (or any other changes) that are beyond your control.

Today I invite you to connect with what is true of yourself. It is this pure human essence that we carry within the Self. Learn to connect with it by quieting your mind and inviting self-acceptance, since it is the most important relationship you will ever have.