Tapping Into Atman

As a girl I sensed the atman within me, but I didn't have the vocabulary to express it. You see, I was raised a Baptist. In the Bible Belt of America curiosity about the higher self, the idea that we are all pieces of God, was not encouraged, so it sat dormant for years.

I eventually found my way to an Eastern Philosophy class at Austin Community College and my path was forever altered. Now I am the teacher at a community college asking my students to tap into their own atman on the yoga mat. I love the full circle aspect of this story.

Who are you? What is your true nature? I could make a lot of money if I had the answer to these questions. I fantasize about myself as though I'm the Midwest version of Deepak Chopra, but unfortunately I have no answers. The true essence of who we are is what I've been meditating on with my students this week, really it's what I've been meditating on for a lifetime. In Hinduism they call this essence atman. What does this word, this concept, truly mean? It's the universal self, the underlying force for all our authentic interactions. It can be tricky to find in the busy world we live in, but not impossible.

The plastic world around us reveres material goods above all else and piles a lot of stuff on top of our atman. It takes hard work and diligence to stay tuned-in and connected to your authentic self.

When I was a child I remember watching a bully on the playground pushing some kid around and my heart hurt.  Even though I didn't have the courage to stand up and speak, I was tapping into atman then. It doesn't always start with action, it starts with a knowing. A gut feeling about right and wrong.

I continued to hear the voice (that's always how I describe atman, as a voice in my head that guides me), not the voice from the self my parents told me I was, not the voice that desperately needed me to fit in, but the voice deep within...and I began to allow this voice to guide my actions, my words. The voice was shaky at first, but it was not going to be ignored  any longer.

I began to feel as though I wasn't comfortable in my own skin when I didn't honor atman. Like wearing clothes that are wet and too small. So how do you tap into this essence? How do you open to hearing your voice? For me it started with meditation. I noticed each time I got off my cushion and went back into the world that the voice was easier to hear.

Since I've been allowing atman to guide me I have less drama in my life, there is less second guessing my decisions, and I rarely feel regret. Allowing the inner voice to guide me means weighing what is not only right for me, but for all those around me as well. I think this is how we were wired to be in the first place, we just have to unearth it. So go out and be the change you want to see in the world. Or ask yourself “What would Jesus do”? Or simply follow your hearts guidance, it knows what to do if you listen.