Sitting with my legs crossed and eyes closed, I follow a guided meditation. A soft, warm voice keeps repeating, "I am not the body. I am not the mind."
I do my best to allow my mind and body to relax. And if it works for my body, my mind begins its wandering.
"Is it true that I am not the body?"
Because, without it, I am not.
Same for my mind.
They are not me, but they are all parts of me.
Vital parts of me.
I may not be my body, mind or heart, but without any of them, I am not.
The soft voice keeps repeating that mantra, and I start thinking about the dance between the part and the whole. I am aware that the purpose of these words is to remind me to avoid identifying myself with the limits of my body and mind. All parts of me contribute to defining who I am, but none of them defines me. Even more, I am more than the sum of all my parts.
At the same time, I can't be whole if I ignore or neglect a part of me.
All this thinking goes on in my head, and as it often happens when I surrender and allow my mind to be itself, I find peace.
You are more than the sum of all your parts.