SELF-KNOWLEDGE: CHILD OF SOCIETY VS. CHILD OF EXISTENCE

There are two parts of ourselves, the child of society(the part of us that is shaped by society and conditioning) and the child of existence(your true nature and essence).

Our programming and conditioning starts from birth onward. Both identities are important, but require balance. I am fascinated by self-discovery and self-knowledge because of its capacity to deepen our relationship to ourselves, others, source, and the world. When there is balance in our lives, there is balance in the body. Being healthy or maintaining/reaching homeostasis is the result of knowing ourselves. When we understand ourselves, we understand our bodies and are better able to nurture our bodies effectively.

“All of our problems are caused by
not knowing who we are.”

This is where suffering comes from. This creates imbalance and disharmony. A lot of importance is placed on discovering our true selves, who we were before societal programming, because without it we lose our ability to connect to anyone or anything. Although it’s learned societal interactions/expectations that teach us how to behave more thoughtfully and be considerate of others.

We learn valuable things such as greeting others with warmth, being a gracious host to guests, how to work well with others, and to be inclusive of everyone. The challenge is when we lose parts of ourselves in the expectations and conditioning of society and we move away from knowing our true identity.

Then we spend the rest of our life getting to know that part of ourselves to understand our true nature. When we begin to separate who we are from how others perceive us or what we project on ourselves, we begin to see ourselves, who we are being. When we know and embody both, we manifest balance and bliss. Harmony and healing.

I believe hormonal balance and healing is established internally and externally—through nutrition, sleep, and exercise, but also through mind-enriching practices such as meditation, learning new things, joyful activities/hobbies, and incorporating somatic/embodied movements.  

An inspired insight from the Breema principles and bodywork.